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UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
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ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 

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ANECDOTES 


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Abraham  Lincoln 


AND 


LINCOLN'S  STORIES. 


[DN1TKD  STATES   CAPITOL.] 

INCLUDING 

Early  Life  Stories,  Professional  Life  Storib&v 

White  House  Stories,  War  Stories, 

Miscellaneous  Stories. 


Edited  by  J.  B.  McCLURE, 

Compiler  of  "  Moody 's  Anecdotes ,"   "Moody  s   Child  Stories;"  "Edison    and  Ifts 

Inventions;'1''    "Entertaining  Anecdotes;'1''    "Mistakes  of  Ingtrstll ;" 

"Ingersolfs  Answers  ;"  etc.,  etc. 


CHICAGO: 

RHODES  &  McCLURE  PUBLISHING  CO., 

1888. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1879,  by 

J.  B.  McCldrk  &  R.  S.  Rhodes, 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington,  D.  G. 

All  Rights  Reserved. 


( 


Said  Mr.  Lincoln,  to  Dr.  Gulliver,  on  a  certain  occasion  when  the 
versatile  Doctor  had  highly  complimented  the  then  coming  President 
concerning  one  of  his  speeches : 

"  I  should  very  much  like  to  know  what  it  was  in  my  speech  which 
you  thought  so  remarkable,  aud  which  interested  my  friend,  the  Profes- 
sor (of  Yale  College),  so  much?  " 

"  The  clearness,"  answered  Dr.  G.,  "  of  your  statements,  the  unanswer- 
able style  of  your  reasoning,  and  especially  your  illustrations,  which 
were  romance,  and  pathos,  and  fun,  and  logic,  all  welded  together.'1'' 

The  great  Lincoln  thanked  the  clerical  celebrity,  and  said:  "That 
reminds  me  of  a  story,"  and  then  proceeded  to  tell  how  the  Yale 
Professor  had  taken  notes  on  his  New  Haven  speech,  and  had  lectured 
his  class,  and  had  followed  him  to  Meriden  for  further  "  notes,"  etc. 

Thus  is  demonstrated  the  superior  value  that  attaches  to  Mr.  Lincoln's 
"illustrations,"  which,  as  all  the  world  knows,  were  made  of  pointed, 
pungent,  pithy  and  practical  stories,  drawn  from  an  inexhaustible 
source,  and  always  available  on  every  possible  occasion.  Perhaps  there 
never  lived  a  greater  story-teller  than  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  one  who 
told  them  always  with  such  magic  effect.  With  him,  the  "  appropriate 
story  "  was  npower,  and  his  remarkable  faculty  in  telling  them  was  an 
essential  factor  in  his  greatness. 

In  this  volume  the  compiler  has  aimed  to  present,  in  a  conveniently 
classified  form,  the  Anecdotes  and  Stories  of  this  wonderful  man,  as 
narrated  by  him  to  the  lowly  and  the  great,  in  peace  and  war,  at  the 
fireside  and  bar,  in  the  wilderness  and  White-house,  with  that  zest  and 
potency  which  made  Mr.  Lincoln  such  a  remarkable  man.  It  is  our 
sincere  desire  that  in  this  form  the  book  may  be  of  real  interest  and 
prove  a  further  means  of  usefulness  to  every  reader. 

Our  indebtedness  is  specially  acknowledged  for  aid  found  in  F.  B. 
Carpenter's  "Six  Months  in  the  White-house;"  J.  G.  Holland's  "Life 
of  Lincoln;"  the  Press,  and  to  the  many  friends  who  have  contributed. 

J.  B.  McCLURE. 

Chicago,  III.,  January  1,  1888. 


EARLY  LIFE. 

A  Batch  of  Lincoln's  Reminiscences 49 

A  Hard  Tussle  with  Seven  Negroes — Life  on  a  Mississippi  Flat 

Boat 27 

A  Humorous  Speech — Lincoln  in  the  Black  Hawk  War 39 

A  Pig  Story — Lincoln's  Kindness  to  the  Brute  Creation. -  26 

An  Honest  Boy — Young  Lincoln  "  Pulls  Fodder  "  Two  Days  for  a 

Damaged  Book. 14 

An  Incident  of  Lincoln's  Early  Hardships 18 

An  Incident  or  Two  Illustrating  Lincoln's  Honesty 22 

Captain  Lincoln — How  he  Became  Captain 38 

Elected  to  the  Legislature — Lincoln  Walks  to  the  State  Capitol 41 

General  Linder's  Early  Recollections  of  Lincoln. 46 

How  Lincoln  Earned  his  First  Dollar.. 13 

How  Lincoln  Helped  to  Build  a  Boat — How  he  Loaded  the  Live 

Stock 23 

How  Lincoln  Piloted  a  Flat  Boat  over  a  Mill  Dam 34 

Lincoln  and  his  Gentle  Annie — A  Touching  Incident 20 

Lincoln's  First  Political  Speech 40 

Lincoln's  Marriage — Some  very  Interesting  Letters 44 

Lincoln's  Mechanical  Ingenuity — His  Patent  Boat 31 

Lincoln's  Mother — How  he  Loved  Her ..  45 

Lincoln  Splits  Several  Hundred  Rails  for  a  Pair  of  Pants 28 

Lincoln's  Story  of  a  Girl  in  New  Salem 29 

Little  Lincoln  Firing  at  Big  Game  Through  the  Cracks  of  his 

Cabin  Home 17 

Mrs.  Brown's  Story  of  Young  Abe 30 

Remarkable  Story — "  Honest  Abe  "  as  Postmaster 32 

Returning  from  the  Legislature— A  Joke  on  Lincoln's  Big  Feet..  43 

Showing  How  Lincoln  Resented  an  Insult 24 


CONTENTS.  T 

JSplitting  Rails  and  Studying  Mathematics 84 

"  The  Long  Nine  " — Lincoln  the  Longest  of  All 42 

What  some  Men  say  About  Young  Lincoln.. 25 

When  and  Where  Lincoln  Obtained  the  Name  of  "  Honest  Abe,"  31 

Young  Lincoln  and  his  Books — Their  Influence  on  his  Mind 19 

Young  Lincoln  and  the  "  Clary's  Grove  Boys," 48 

Young  Lincoln's  Kindness  of  Heart 18 


»e 


PROFESSIONAL  LIFE. 

A  Famous  Story — How  Lincoln  was  Presented  with  a  Knife 60 

A  Revolutionary  Prisoner  Defended  by  Lincoln 75 

An  Amusing  Story  concerning  Thompson  Campbell 60 

An  Honest  Lawyer — Some  of  Lincoln's  Cases 74 

An  Incident  Related  by  one  of  Lincoln's  Clients 64 

General  Linder's  Account  of  tbe  Lincoln-Shields  Duel 71 

How  Lincoln  and  Judge  B Swapped  Horses 55 

How  Lincoln  kept  his  Business  Accounts 68 

Honest  Abe  and  his  Lady  Client - 67 

Hon.  Newton  Bateman's  Story  of  Mr.  Lincoln 79 

Incident  Connected  with  Lincoln's  Nomination 70 

Lincoln  and  "  His  Sisters  and  his  Cousins,  and  his  Aunts," 67 

Lincoln  and  his  Step-mother — How  he  Bought  her  a  Farm 59 

Lincoln  as  a  Story  Teller — A  Practical  Example 77 

Lincoln  Defends  the  Son  of  an  Old  Friend  Indicted  for  Murder..  72 

Lincoln  in  Court 68 

Lincoln's  Pungent  Retort 74 

Lincoln's  Story  of  a  Young  Lawyer  as  told  to  General  Garfield..  58 

Lincoln's  Story  of  Joe  Wilson  and  his  "Spotted  Animals," 63 

Lincoln's  Valor — He  Defends  Col.  Baker 65 

One  of  Lincoln's  Hardest  Hits 69 

Remarkable  Law  Suit  about  a  Colt — How  Lincoln  Won  the  Case,  55 

The  Lincoln-Shields  Duel — How  it  Originated 16 

Thrilling  Story— Lincoln's  Twenty  Years'  Agitation  in  Illinois...  76 

WHITE  HOUSE  INCIDENTS. 

A  Home  Incident— Lincoln  and  Little  "Tad," 105 

A  Little  Story  which  Lincoln  told  the  Preachers 85 

A  Praying  President — "Prayer  and  Praise," 120 

A  "  Pretty  Tolerable  Respectable  Sort  of  a  Clergyman," 94 

An  Apt  Illustration 98 


8  CONTENTS. 

An  Instance  where  the  President's  Mind  Wandered 104 

An    Irish  Soldier  who  wanted   Something  Stronger  than   Soda 

Water 90 

Comments  of  Mr.  Lincoln  on  the  Emancipation  Proclamation...  109 

Common  Sense 93 

Criticism — Its  Effect  on  Mr.  Lincoln — A  Bull  Frog  Story Ill 

Ejecting  a  Cashiered  Officer  from  the  White  House 113 

How  Lincoln  and  Stanton  Dismissed  Applicants  for  Office 101 

How  Lincoln  "  Browsed  Around," 100 

How  Lincoln  Opened  the  Eyes  of  a  Visitor 97 

How  Lincoln  Stood  up  for  the  Word  "  Sugar  Coated," 86 

How  the  Negroes  Regarded  "  Massa  Linkum," 115 

Lincoln's  Advice  to  a  Prominent  Bachelor 87 

Lincoln  and  the  Committee  on  "  Grant's  Whisky," 94 

Lincoln  and  the  Newspapers Ill 

Lincoln  and  the  Preacher.. 104 

Lincoln  and  the  Wall  Street  Gold  Gamblers 114 

Lincoln  Arguing  Against  the  Emancipation  Proclamation 110 

Lincoln  Cutting  Red  Tape 100 

Lincoln's  Habits  in  the  White  House— The  Same  "  Old  Abe," 117 

Lincoln's  High  Compliment  to  the  Women  of  America. 118 

Lincoln  in  the  Hour  of  Deep  Sorrow — He  Recalls  his  Mother's 

Prayers 118 

Lincoln's  Laugh Ill 

Lincoln's  Little  Speech  to  the  Union  League  Committee 113 

Lincoln  Mourning  for  his  Lost  Son  is  Comforted  by  Rev.  Dr.Vinton,  106 

Looking  out  for  Breakers 91 

Lincoln's  Story  of  a  Poodle  Dog 112 

Lincoln  Wipes  the  Tears  from  his  Eyes,  and  Tells  a  Story 109 

Minnehaha  and  Minneboohoo 97 

More  Light  and  Less  Noise 99 

Mr.  Lincoln  and  the  Bashful  Boys 88 

One  of  Lincoln's  Drolleries 101 

One  of  Lincoln's  Last  Stories 116 

President  Lincoln  and  the  Artist,  Carpenter '__  97 

Telling  a  Story  and  Pardoning  a  Soldier — Lincoln  did  Both 121 

The  Kind  of  Cane  Lincoln  Made  and  Carried  when  a  Boy. 92 

Trying  the  "Greens"  on  Jake— A  Serious  Experiment 85 

Stories  Illustrating  Lincoln's  Memory 92 

Work  Enough  for  Twenty  Presidents 91 


CONTENTS. 


WAR  STORIES. 


A  Celebrated  Case  Settled  with  Lincolu-like  Celerity 140 

A  Church  which  God  Wanted  for  the  AVounded  Soldiers 144 

A  Dream  that  was  Portentous— What  Lincoln  Said  to  General 

GrantAbout  it - 147 

A  Little  Soldier  Boy  that  Lincoln  wanted  to  Bow  to 127 

Amusing  Anecdote  of  a  "  Hen-pecked  Husband," 133 

A  Short  Practical  Sermon 139 

A  Soldier  that  Knew  no  Royalty 120 

A  Touching  Incident  in  the  Life  of  Lincoln 132 

An  Interesting  Visit  to  the  Hospitals— How  the  Soldiers  Received 

Him 132 

Could  not  allow  a  Soldier  to  be  more  Polite  than  Himself 131 

Cutting  Reply  to  the  Confederate    Commission— His  Story    of 

"  Root  Hog  or  Die," 155 

How  Lincoln  Illustrated  What  Might  Be  Done  with  Jeff  Davis..  154 

How  Lincoln  Relieved  Rosecrans 145 

Interesting  Incident  Connected  with  Signing  the  Emancipation 

Proclamation 146 

Lincoln  and  Judge  Baldwin 148 

Lincoln's  Curt  Reply  to  a  Clergyman 139 

Lincoln  Proposes  to  "  Borrow  the  Army  "  from  one  of  his  Gen- 
erals   - 131 

Lincoln's  Second  Nomination— Lincoln  Sees  Two  Images  of  him- 
self in  a  Mirror 153 

Lincoln's  War  Story  of  Andy  Johnson— Col.  Moody's  Prayers 125 

Lincoln  While  in  Bed  Pardons  a  Soldier 128 

Mr.  Lincoln  and  a  Clergyman 134 

No  Mercy  for  the  Man  Stealer— Lincoln  Uses  Very  Strong  Lan- 
guage  --- 151 

Recollections  of  the  War  President,  by  Judge  William  Johnson..  141 

Remarkable  Letter  from  Lincoln  to  General  Hooker 135 

Sallie  Ward's  Practical  Philosophy 128 

The  Great  Thing  About  General  Grant  as  Lincoln  Saw  it 153 

The  Merciful  President 150 

The  Serpent  in  Bed  with  Two  Children 143 

What  Lincoln  Considered  the  "  Great  Event  of  the  Nineteenth 

Century" 130 


10 


CONTENTS. 


MISCELLANEOUS  STORIES. 

A  couple  of  good  Stories— How  Lincoln  took   his  Altitude— A 

Prophetic  Bowl  of  Milk 169 

A-braham  Lincoln's  Death— Walt  Whitman's  description  of  the 

Scene  at  Ford's   Theatre 184 

An  Amusing  Illustration 168 

Attending  Henry  Ward  Beecher's  Church— What  Lincoln  said  of 

Beet  her 159 

D.L.Moody's  Story  of  Lincoln's  Compassion 176 

Feat  at  the  Washington  Navy  Yard  with  an  Axe _ 162 

Funeral  Services  of  Lincoln's  Mother— The  Old  Pastor  and  Youug 

Abraham. _ 164 

How  Lincoln  Won  a  Case  from  his  Partner— Laughable  Toilet 

Ignorance 179 

Interesting  Anecdote  of  Lincoln  related  by  Rev.  J.  P.  Gulliver...  173 

Lincoln  and  his  New  Hat 162 

Lincoln  and  the  Little  Baby— A  Touchiug  Story 175 

Lincoln  at  the  Five  Points  House  of  Industry  at  New  York 161 

Lincoln's  Failure  as  a  Merchant— Six    Tears  later  he  pays  his 

Debts 163 

Lincoln  Joking  Douglas— A  Splendid  "  Whisky  Cask," 178 

Lincoln's  Last  Story  and  Last  Written  Words  and  Conversations.  182 
Lincoln's  Life  as  written  by  himself — The  whole  thing  in  a  Nut- 
shell   179 

Lincoln's  Love  for  Little  Tad 160 

Lincoln's  Love  f©r  the  Little  Ones 170 

Lincoln's  Story  about  Dan  Webster's  Soiled  Hands 175 

Little  Lincoln  Stories 180 

Something  concerning  Mr.  Lincoln's  Religious  Views 166 

Thurlow  Weed's  Recollections 167 


Abraham  Lincoln,  Sixteenth  President  of  the  U.  S Frontispiece 

United  States  Capitol Vignette,  Title  Page 

Early  Home  op  the  Lincolns  in  Illinois 36 

Birth  Place  of  Abraham  Lincoln 16 

Illinois  State  Capitol,  Springfield,  Illinois 54 

Abraham  Lincoln,  the  Lawyer 66 

United  States  Capitol  at  Washington 84 

White  Pigeon  Church 96 

Lincoln  Monument,  Springfield,  Illinois 124 

Douglas  Monument,  Chicago 138 

Home  of  the  Lincolns  in  Indiana 158 

Abraham  Lincoln's  Kesidence  at  Springfield,  Illinois 172 


*  classification.  *Smm 

Early  Life  Stories 13 

Professional  Life  Stories 55 

White-House  Incidents 85 

War  Stories 125 

Miscellaneous  Stories 159 

11 


ANECDOTES 


OF 


Abraham  Lincoln. 


EARLY  LIFE. 


How  Lincoln  Earned  His  First  Dollar. 

The  following  interesting  story  was  told  by  Mr.  Lincoln 
to  Mr.  Seward  and  a  few  friends  one  evening  in  the 
Executive  Mansion  at  Washington.  The  President  said  : 
"  Seward,  you  never  heard,  did  you,  how  I  earned  my  first 
dollar  ? "  "  No,"  rejoined  Mr.  Seward.  u  Well,"  continued 
Mr.  Lincoln,  "I  belonged,  you  know,  to  what  they  call 
down  South,  the  *  scrubs.'  We  had  succeeded  in  raising, 
chiefly  by  my  labor,  sufficient  produce,  as  I  thought,  to 
justify  me  in  taking  it  down  the  river  to  sell. 

"  After  much  persuasion,  I  got  the  consent  of  mother  to. 
go,  and  constructed  a  little  flatboat,  large  enough  to  take  a 
barrel  or  two  of  things  that  we  had  gathered,  with  myself 
and  little  bundle,  down  to  the  Southern  market.  A  steamer 
was  coming  down  the  river.  We  have,  you  know,  no 
wharves  on  the  Western  streams  ;  and  the  custom  was,  if 
passengers  were  at  any  of  the  landings,  for  them  to  go  out 
in  a  boat,  the  steamer  stopping  and  taking  them  on  board. 

"  I  was  contemplating  my  new  flatboat,  and  wondering 
whether  I  could  make  it  stronger  or  improve  it  in  any  par- 

13 


14  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

ticular,  when  two  men  came  down  to  the  shore  in  carriages 
with  trunks,  and  looking  at  the  different  boats  singled  out 
mine,  and  asked,  'Who  owns  this  ?'  I  answered,  somewhat 
modestly,  '  I  do.'  '  Will  you,'  said  one  of  them,  '  take  us 
and  our  trunks  out  to  the  steamer  ?'  '  Certainly,'  said  I. 
I  was  very  glad  to  have  the  chance  of  earning  something. 
I  supposed  that  each  of  them  would  give  me  two  or  three 
bits.  The  trunks  were  put  on  my  flatboat,  the  passengers 
seated  luemselves  on  the  trunks,  and  I  sculled  them  out  to 
the  steamboat. 

"  They  got  on  board,  and  I  lifted  up  their  heavy  trunks, 
and  put  them  on  deck.  The  steamer  was  about  to  put  on 
steam  again,  when  I  called  out  that  they  had  forgotten  to 
pay  me.  Each  of  them  took  from  his  pocket  a  silver  half- 
dollar,  and  threw  it  on  the  floor  of  my  boat.  I  could 
scarcely  believe  my  eyes  as  I  picked  up  the  money.  Gentle- 
men, you  may  think  it  was  a  very  little  thing,  and  in  these 
days  it  seems  to  me  a  trifle  ;  but  it  was  a  most  important 
incident  in  my  life.  I  could  scarcely  credit  that  I,  a  poor 
boy,  had  earned  a  dollar  in  less  than  a  day — that  by  honest 
work  I  had  earned  a  dollar  The  world  seemed  wider  and 
fairer  before  me.  I  was  a  more  hopeful  and  confident  being 
from  that  time." 


An  Honest  Boy— Young   Lincoln  :< Fulls    Fodder"  Two  Days  for 

a  Damaged  Book. 

The  following  incident,  illustrating  several  traits  already 
developed  in  the  early  boyhood  of  Lincoln,  is  vouched  for 
by  a  citizen  of  Evansville,  Ind.,  who  knew  him  in  the  days 
referred  to  : 

In  his  eagerness  to  acquire  knowledge,  young  Lincoln 
had  borrowed  of  Mr.  Crawford,  a  neighboring  farmer,  a 
copy  of  Weems'  Life  of  Washington — the  only  one  known 


EARLY  LIFE.  17 

to  be  in  existence  in  that  region  of  country.  Before  he 
had  finished  reading  the  book,  it  had  been  left,  by  a  not 
unnatural  oversight,  in  a  window.  Meantime,  a  rain  storm 
came  on,  and  the  book  was  so  thoroughly  wet  as  to  make  it 
nearly  worthless.  This  mishap  caused  him  much  pain  ; 
but  he  went,  in  all  honesty,  to  Mr.  Crawford  with  the 
ruined  book,  explained  the  calamity  that  had  happened 
through  his  neglect,  and  offered,  not  having  sufficient 
money,  to  "  work  out "  the  value  of  the  book. 

"  Well,  Abe,"  said  Mr.  Crawford,  after  due  deliberation, 
"  as  it's  you,  I  won't  be  hard  on  you.  Just  come  over  and 
pull  fodder  for  me  for  two  days,  and  we  will  call  our 
accounts  even." 

The  offer  was  readily  accepted,  and  the  engagement  lit- 
erally fulfilled.  As  a  boy,  no  less  than  since,  Abraham 
Lincoln  had  an  honorable  conscientiousnesss  integrity, 
industry,  and  an  ardent  love  of  knowledge. 


Little   Lincoln  Firing   at   Big  Game  Through   the  Gv*cks  of  His 

Cabin  Home. 

While  yet  a  little  boy,  one  day  when  Lincoln  was  in  his 
cabin  home,  in  what  was  then  a  wilderness  in  Indiana,  he 
chanced  to  look  through  a  crack  in  the  log  walls  of  the 
humble  residence  and  espied  a  flock  of  wild  turkeys  feeding 
within  range  of  his  father's  trusty  rifle.  He  at  once  took 
in  the  possibilities  of  the  situation  and  ventured  to  take 
down  the  old  gun,  and  quietly  putting  the  long  barrel 
through  the  opening,  with  a  hasty  aim,  fired  into  the  flock. 
When  the  smoke  had  cleared  away,  it  was  observed  that 
one  of  the  turkeys  lay  dead  on  the  field.  This  is  said  to 
have  been  the  largest  game  on  which  Lincoln  ever  pulled  a 
trigger,  his  brilliant  success  in  this  instance  having  no 
power  to  excite  in  him  the  passion  for  hunting. 
9 


18  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

An  Incident  of  Lincoln's   Early  Hardships   and   Narrow  Escape 

from  Death. 

A  little  incident  occurred  while  young  Lincoln  lived  in 
Indiana,  which  illustrates  the  early  hardships  and  surround- 
ings to  which  he  was  subjected.  On  one  occasion  he  wa9 
obliged  to  take  his  grist  upon  the  back  of  his  father's 
horse,  and  go  fifty  miles  to  get  it  ground.  The  mill  itself 
was  very  rude,  and  driven  by  horse-power.  The  customers 
were  obliged  to  wait  their  "  turn,"  without  reference  to 
their  distance  from  home,  and  then  use  their  own  horse  to 
propel  the  machinery  !  On  this  occasion,  Abraham,  having 
arrived  at  his  turn,  fastened  his  mare  to  the  lever,  and  was 
following  her  closely  upon  her  rounds,  when,  urging  her 
with  a  switch,  and  "  clucking  "  to  her  in  the  usual  way,  he 
received  a  kick  from  her  which  prostrated  him,  and  made 
him  insensible.  With  the  first  instant  of  returning  con- 
sciousness, he  finished  the  cluck,  which  he  had  commenced 
when  he  received  the  kick  (a  fact  for  the  psychologist),  and 
with  the  next  he  probably  thought  about  getting  home, 
where  he  arrived  at  last,  battered,  but  ready  for  further 
service. 


Young  Lincoln's  Kindness  of  Heart — He  Carries  Home  and  Nurses 

a   Drunkard. 

An  instance  of  young  Lincoln's  practical  humanity  at  an 
early  period  of  his  life  is  recorded,  as  follows  :  One  even- 
ing, while  returning  from  a  "  raising"  in  his  wide  neigh- 
borhood, with  a  number  of  companions,  he  discovered  a 
straying  horse,  with  saddle  and  bridle  upon  him.  The 
horse  was  recognized  as  belonging  to  a  man  who  was  accus- 
tomed to  excess  in  drink,  and  it  was  suspected  at  once  that 
the  owner  was  not  far  off.  A  short  search  only  was  neces- 
sary to  confirm  the  suspicions  of  the  young  men. 


EARLY  LIFE.  19 

The  poor  drunkard  was  found  in  a  perfectly  helpless  con- 
dition, upon  the  chilly  ground.  Abraham's  companions 
urged  the  cowardly  policy  of  leaving  him  to  his  fate,  but 
young  Lincoln  would  not  hear  to  the  proposition.  At  his 
request,  the  miserable  sot  was  lifted  to  his  shoulders,  and 
he  actually  carried  him  eighty  rods  to  the  nearest  house. 
Sending  word  to  his  father  that  he  should  not  be  back  that 
night,  with  the  reason  for  his  absence,  he  attended  and 
nursed  the  man  until  the  morning,  and  had  the  pleasure  of 
believing  that  he  had  saved  his  life. 


Young  Lincoln  and  His  Books — Their  Influence  on  His  Mind. 

The  books  which  Abraham  had  the  early  privilege  of 
reading  were  the  Bible,  much  of  which  he  could  repeat, 
^Esop's  Fables,  all  of  which  he  could  repeat,  Pilgrim's  Prog- 
ress, Weems'  Life  of  Washington,  and  a  Life  of  Henry 
Clay,  which  his  mother  had  managed  to  purchase  for  him. 
Subsequently  he  read  the  Life  of  Franklin  and  Ramsey's 
Life  of  Washington.  In  these  books,  read  and  re-read,  he 
found  meat  for  his  hungry  mind.  The  Holy  Bible,  iEsop 
and  John  Bunyan — could  three  better  books  have  been 
chosen  for  him  from  the  richest  library? 

For  those  who  have  witnessed  the  dissipating  effects  of 
many  books  upon  the  minds  of  modern  children  it  is  not 
hard  to  believe  that  Abraham's  poverty  of  books  was  the 
wealth  of  his  life.  These  three  books  did  much  to  perfect 
that  which  his  mother's  teachings  had  begun,  and  to  form 
a  character  which,  for  quaint  simplicity,  earnestness,  truth- 
fulness and  purity  has  never  been  surpassed  among  the  his- 
toric personages  of  the  world.  The  Life  of  Washington, 
while  it  gave  to  him  a  lofty  example  of  patriotism,  incident- 
ally conveyed  to  his  mind  a  general  knowledge  of  Ameri- 
can history;  and  the  Life  of  Henry  Clay  spoke  to  him  of  a 


20  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

living  man  who  had  risen  to  political  and  professional  emi- 
nence from  circumstances  almost  as  humble  as  his  own. 

The  latter  book  undoubtedly  did  much  to  excite  his  taste 
for  politics,  to  kindle  his  ambition,  and  to  make  him  a  warm 
admirer  and  partisan  of  Henry  Clay.  Abraham  must  have 
been  very  young  when  he  read  Weeras'  Life  of  Washing- 
ton, and  we  catch  a  glimpse  of  his  precocity  in  the  thoughts 
which  it  excited,  as  revealed  by  himself  in  a  speech  made 
to  the  New  Jersey  Senate,  while  on  his  way  to  Washington 
to  assume  the  duties  of  the  Presidency. 

Alluding  to  his  early  reading  of  this  book,  he  says:  "I 
remember  all  the  accounts  there  given  of  the  battle  fields 
and  struggles  for  the  liberties  of  the  country,  and  none 
fixed  themselves  upon  my  imagination  so  deeply  as  the 
struggle  here  at  Trenton,  New  Jersey.  *  *  *  1  recol- 
lect thinking  then,  boy  even  though  I  was,  that  there  must 
have  been  something  more  than  common  that  those  men 
struggled  for '."  Even  at  this  age,  he  was  not  only  an  inter- 
ested reader  of  the  story,  but  a  student  of  motives. 


Lincoln  and  His  Gentle  Annie — A  Touching  Incident. 

The  following  interesting  particulars  connected  with  the 
early  life  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  are  from  the  Virginia  (111.) 
Enquirer,  of  date  March  1,  1879: 

John  McNamer  was  buried  last  Sunday,  near  Petersburg, 
Menard  County.  A  long  while  ago  he  was  Assessor  and 
Treasurer  of  the  county  for  several  successive  terms.  Mr. 
McNamer  was  an  early  settler  in  that  section,  and  before 
the  Town  of  Petersburg  was  laid  out  was  in  business  at  Old 
Salem,  a  village  that  existed  many  years  ago  two  miles 
south  of  the  present  site  of  Petersburg.  Abe  Lincoln  was 
then  postmaster  of  the  place,  and  sold  whisky  to  its  inhabi- 
tants.     There  are  old-timers   yet  living  in  Menard    who 


EARLY  LIFE.  31 

bought  many  a  jug  of  corn-juice  from  Old  Abe  when  he 
lived  at  Salem.  It  was  here  that  Annie  Eutlege  dwelt,  and 
in  whose  grave  Lincoln  wrote  that  his  heart  was  buried. 
As  the  story  runs,  the  fair  and  gentle  Annie  was  originally 
John  JMcNamer's  sweetheart,  but  Abe  took  a  "  shine  "  to 
the  young  lady,  and  succeeded  in  heading  off  McNamer, 
and  won  her  affections.  But  Annie  Rutlege  died,  and  Lin- 
coln went  to  Springfield,  where  he  some  time  afterwards 
married. 

It  is  related  that  during  the  war  a  lady  belonging  to  a 
prominent  Kentucky  family  visited  Washington  to  beg  for 
her  son's  pardon,  who  was  then  in  prison  under  sentence  of 
death  for  belonging  to  a  band  of  guerrillas  who  had  com- 
mitted many  murders  and  outrages.  "With  the  mother  was 
her  daughter,  a  beautiful  young  lady,  who  was  an  accom- 
plished musician.  Mr.  Lincoln  received  the  visitors  in  his 
usual  kind  manner,  and  the  mother  made  known  the  object 
of  her  visit,  accompanying  her  plea  with  tears  and  sobs  and 
all  the  customary  dramatic  incidents. 

There  were  probably  extenuating  circumstances  in  favor 
of  the  young  Rebel  prisoner,  and  while  the  President  seemed 
to  be  deeply  pondering,  the  young  lady  moved  to  a  piano 
near  by,  and  taking  a  seat  commenced  to  sing  "  Gentle 
Annie,';  a  very  sweet  and  pathetic  ballad,  which,  before  the 
war,  was  a  familiar  song  in  almost  every  household  in  the 
Union,  and  is  not  yet  entirely  forgotten,  for  that  matter. 
It  is  to  be  presumed  the  young  lady  sang  the  song  with 
more  plaintiveness  and  effect  than  Old  Abe  had  ever  heard  it 
in  Springfield.  During  its  rendition,  he  arose  from  his 
seat,  crossed  the  room  to  a  window  in  the  westward,  through 
which  he  gazed  for  several  minutes  with  that  "  sad,  far- 
away look,"  which  has  so  often  been  noted  as  one  of  his 
peculiarities.  His  memory,  no  doubt,  went  back  to  the 
days  of  his  humble  life  on  the  banks  of  the  Sangamon,  and 


22  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

with  visions  of  Old  Salem  and  its  rustic  people,  who  once 
gathered  in  his  primitive  store,  came  a  picture  of  the  u  Gen- 
tle Annie  "  of  his  youth,  whose  ashes  had  rested  ior  many 
long  years  under  the  wild  flowers  and  brambles  of  the  old 
rural  burying-ground,  but  whose  spirit  then,  perhaps,  guided 
him  to  the  side  of  mercy.  Be  that  as  it  may,  Mr.  Lincoln 
drew  a  large  red  silk  handkerchief  from  his  coat-pocket, 
with  which  he  wiped  his  face  vigorously.  Then  he  turned, 
advanced  quickly  to  his  desk,  wrote  a  brief  note,  which  he 
handed  to  the  lady,  and  informed  her  that  it  was  the  par- 
don she  sought. 

The  scene  was  no  doubt  touching  in  a  great  degree,  and 
proves  that  a  nice  song,  well  sung,  has  often  a  powerful 
influence  in  recalling  tender  recollections.  It  proves,  also, 
that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  a  man  of  fine  feelings,  and  that, 
if  the  occurrence  was  a  put-up  job  on  the  lady's  part,  it 
accomplished  its  purpose  all  the  same. 


An  Incident  or  Two  Illustrating  Lincoln's  Honesty. 

Lincoln  could  not  rest  for  an  instant  under  the  conscious- 
ness that  he  had,  even  unwittingly,  defrauded  anybody.  On 
one  occasion,  while  clerking  in  Offutt's  store,  at  New 
Salem,  111.,  he  sold  a  woman  a  little  bill  of  goods,  amount- 
ing in  value  by  the  reckoning,  to  two  dollars  six  and  a  quar- 
ter cents.  He  received  the  money,  and  the  woman  went 
away.  On  adding  the  items  of  the  bill  again,  to  make  him- 
self sure  of  correctness,  he  found  that  he  had  taken  six  and 
a  quarter  cents  too  much.  It  was  night,  and,  closing  and 
locking  the  store,  he  started  out  on  foot,  a  distance  of  two 
or  three  miles,  for  the  house  of  his  defrauded  customer, 
and,  delivering  over  to  her  the  sum  whose  possession  had 
so  much  troubled  him,  went  home  satisfied. 

On  another  occasion,  just  as  he  was  closing  the  store  for 


EARLY  LIFE.  28 

the  night,  a  woman  entered,  and  asked  for  a  half  pound  of 
tea.  The  tea  was  weighed  out  and  paid  for,  and  the  store 
was  left  for  the  night.  The  next  morning,  Lincoln  entered 
to  begin  the  duties  of  the  day,  when  he  discovered  a  four- 
ounce  weight  on  the  scales.  He  saw  at  once  that  he  had 
made  a  mistake,  and,  shutting  the  store,  he  took  a  long 
walk  before  breakfast  to  deliver  the  remainder  of  the  tea. 
These  are  very  humble  incidents,  but  they  illustrate  the 
man's  perfect  conscientiousness — his  sensitive  honesty — 
better  perhaps  than  they  would  if  they  were  of  greater 
moment. 


How  Lincoln  Helped  to  Build  a  Boat,  and   How  He  Loaded  the 

Live  Stock. 

"While  a  laboring  man,  Lincoln,  Hanks  &  Johnston  on 
one  occasion  contracted  to  build  a  boat  on  Sangamon  River, 
at  Sangamon  Town,  about  seven  miles  northwest  of  Spring- 
field. For  this  work  they  were  to  receive  twelve  dollars  a 
month  each.  When  the  boat  was  finished  (and  every  plank 
of  it  was  sawed  by  hand  with  a  whip-saw),  it  was  launched 
on  the  Sangamon,  and  floated  to  a  point  below  New  Salem, 
in  Menard  (then  Sangamon)  County,  where  a  drove  of  hogs 
was  to  be  taken  on  board.  At  this  time,  the  hogs  of  the 
region  ran  wild,  as  they  do  now  in  portions  of  the  border 
states.  Some  of  them  were  savage,  and  all,  after  the  man- 
ner of  swine,  were  difficult  to  manage.  They  had,  how- 
ever, been  gathered  and  penned,  but  not  an  inch  could  they 
be  made  to  move  toward  the  boat.  All  the  ordinary 
resources  were  exhausted  in  the  attempts  to  get  them  ok 
board.  There  was  but  one  alternative,  and  this  Abraham 
adopted.  He  actually  carried  them  on  board,  one  by  one. 
His  long  arms  and  great  strength  enabled  him  to  grasp 
them  as  in  a  vise,  and  to  transfer  them  rapidly  from  the 


S4  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

shore  to  the  boat.     They  then  took  the  boat  to  New  Orleans, 
according  to  contract. 


An  Incident  Showing  How  Lincoln  Resented  an  Insult — He  Gave 

the  Victim  a  Thrashing. 

While  showing  goods  to  two  or  three  women  in  Offutt's 
store  one  day,  a  bully  came  in  and  began  to  talk  in  an 
offensive  manner,  using  much  profanity,  and  evidently 
wishing  to  provoke  a  quarrel.  Lincoln  leaned  over  the 
counter,  and  begged  him,  as  ladies  were  present,  not  to 
indulge  in  such  talk.  The  bully  retorted  that  the  oppor- 
tunity had  come  for  which  he  had  long  sought,  and  he 
would  like  to  see  the  man  who  could  hinder  him  from  say- 
ing anything  he  might  choose  to  say.  Lincoln,  still  cool, 
told  him  that  if  he  would  wait  until  the  ladies  retired,  he 
would  hear  what  he  had  to  say,  and  give  him  any  satisfac- 
tion he  desired. 

As  soon  as  the  women  were  gone,  the  man  became 
furious.  Lincoln  heard  his  boasts  and  his  abuse  for  a  time, 
and  finding  that  he  was  not  to  be  put  off  without  a  fight, 
said — "  Well,  if  you  must  be  whipped,  I  suppose  I  may  as 
well  whip  you  as  any  other  man."  This  was  just  what  the 
bully  had  been  seeking,  he  said,  so  out  of  doors  they  went, 
and  Lincoln  made  short  work  with  him.  He  threw  him 
upon  the  ground,  held  him  there  as  if  he  had  been  a  child, 
and  gathering  some  "  smart- weed  "  which  grew  upon  the 
spot,  rubbed  it  into  his  face  and  eyes,  until  the  fellow  bel- 
lowed with  pain.  Lincoln  did  all  this  without  a  particle  of 
anger,  and  when  the  job  was  finished,  went  immediately 
for  water,  washed  his  victim's  face,  and  did  everything  he 
could  to  alleviate  his  distress.  The  upshot  of  the  matter 
was  that  the  man  became  his  fast  and  life-long  friend,  and 
was  a  better  man  from  that  day.     It  was  impossible  then, 


EARLY  LIFE.  25 

and  it  always  remained  impossible,  for  Lincoln  to  cherish 
resentment  or  revenge. 


What  Some  Men  Say  About  Young  Lincoln — His  First  Meeting 

With  Richard  Yates. 

Lincoln  was  a  marked  and  peculiar  young  man.  People 
talked  about  him.  His  studious  habits,  his  greed  for  infor- 
mation, his  thorough  mastery  of  the  difficulties  of  every 
new  position  in  which  he  was  placed,  his  intelligence  touch- 
ing all  matters  of  public  concern,  his  unwearying  good 
nature,  his  skill  in  telling  a  story,  his  great  athletic  power, 
his  quaint,  odd  ways,  his  uncouth  appearance,  all  tending  to 
bring  him  in  sharp  contrast  with  the  dull  mediocrity  by 
which  he  was  surrounded.  Denton  Offutt,  his  old  employer 
in  the  store,  said,  in  the  extravagance  of  his  admiration, 
that  he  knew  more  than  any  other  man  in  the  United  States. 
The  Governor  of  Indiana,  one  of  Offutt's  acquaintances, 
said,  after  having  a  conversation  with  Lincoln,  that  the 
young  man  "  had  talent  enough  in  him  to  make  a  Presi- 
dent." In  every  circle  in  which  he  found  himself,  whether 
refined  or  coarse,  he  was  always  the  centre  of  attraction. 

William  G.  Greene  says  that  when  he  (Greene)  was  a 
member  of  Illinois  College,  he  brought  home  with  him,  on 
a  vacation,  Richard  Yates,  afterwards  Governor  of  the  state, 
and  some  other  boys,  and,  in  order  to  entertain  them,  took 
them  all  up  to  see  Lincoln.  He  found  him  in  his  usual 
position  and  at  his  usual  occupation.  He  was  flat  on  his 
back,  on  a  cellar  door,  reading  a  newspaper.  That  was  the 
manner  in  which  a  President  of  the  United  States  and  a 
Governor  of  Illinois  became  acquainted  with  one  another. 
Mr.  Greene  says  that  Lincoln  then  could  repeat  the  whole 
of  Burns,  and  was  a  devoted  student  of  Shakspeare.  So 
the  rough  backwoodsman,  self-educated,  entertained   the 


26  LINCOLN  STORIEb. 

college  boys,  and  was  invited  to  dine  with  them  on  bread 
and  milk.  How  he  managed  to  upset  his  bowl  of  milk  is 
not  a  matter  of  history,  but  the  fact  that  he  did  so  is,  as  is 
the  further  fact  that  Greene's  mother,  who  loved  Lincoln, 
tried  to  smooth  over  the  accident  and  relieve  the  young 
man's  embarrassment. 


A  Pig  Story — Lincoln's  Kindness  to  the  Brute  Creation. 

An  amusing  incident  occurred  in  connection  with  "  riding 
the  circuit,"  which  gives  a  pleasant  glimpse  into  the  good 
lawyer's  heart.  He  was  riding  by  a  deep  slough,  in  which,  to 
his  exceeding  pain,  he  saw  a  pig  struggling,  and  with  such 
faint  eiforts  that  it  was  evident  that  he  could  not  extricate  him- 
self from  the  mud.  Mr.  Lincoln  looked  at  the  pig  and  the 
mud  which  enveloped  him,  and  then  looked  at  some  new 
clothes  with  which  he  had  but  a  short  time  befoi'e  enveloped 
himself.  Deciding  against  the  claims  of  the  pig,  he  rode 
on,  but  he  could  not  get  rid  of  the  vision  of  the  poor  brute, 
and,  at  last,  after  riding  two  miles,  he  turned  back,  deter- 
mined to  rescue  the  animal  at  the  expense  of  his  new  clothes. 
Arrived  at  the  spot,  he  tied  his  horse,  and  coolly  went  to 
work  to  build  of  old  rails  a  passage  to  the  bottom  of  the 
hole.  Descending  on  these  rails,  he  seized  the  pig  and 
dragged  him  out,  but  not  without  serious  damage  to  the 
clothes  he  wore.  Washing  his  hands  in  the  nearest  brook, 
and  wiping  them  on  the  grass,  he  mounted  his  gig  and  rode 
along.  He  then  fell  to  examining  the  motive  that  sent  him 
back  to  the  release  of  the  pig.  At  the  first  thought  it 
seemed  to  be  pure  benevolence,  but,  at  length,  he  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  it  was  selfishness,  for  he  certainlv  went 
to  the  pig's  relief,  in  order  (as  he  said  to  the  friend  to  whom 
he  related  the  incident,)  to  "  take  a  pain  out  of  his  own 
mind."     This*  is  certainly  a  new  view  of  the  nature  of 


EARLY  LIFE.  27 

sympathy,  and  one  which  it  will  be  well  for  the  casuist  to 
examine. 


A  Hard  Tussle    with  Seven  Negroes — Life  on  a  Mississippi  Flat 

Boat. 

At  the  age  of  nineteen,  Abraham  made  his  second  essay 
in  navigation,  and  this  time  caught  something  more  than  a 
glimpse  of  the  great  world  in  which  he  was  destined  to  play 
so  important  a  part.  A  trading  neighbor  applied  to  him 
to  take  charge  of  a  flat-boat  and  its  cargo,  and,  in  company 
with  his  own  son,  to  take  it  to  the  sugar  plantations  near 
New  Orleans.  The  entire  business  of  the  trip  was  placed 
in  Abraham's  hands.  The  fact  tells  its  own  story  touching 
the  young  man's  reputation  for  capacity  and  integrity.  He 
had  never  made  the  trip,  knew  nothing  of  the  journey,  was 
unaccustomed  to  business  transactions,  had  never  been  much 
upon  the  river;  but  his  tact,  ability  and  honesty  were  so 
trusted  that  the  trader  was  willing  to  risk  his  cargo  and  his 
son  in  Lincoln's  care. 

The  incidents  of  a  trip  like  this  were  not  likely  to  be 
exciting,  but  there  were  many  social  chats  with  settlers  and 
hunters  along  the  banks  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi,  and 
there  was  much  hailing  of  similar  craft  afloat.  Arriving  at 
a  sugar  plantation  somewhere  between  Natchez  and  New 
Orleans,  the  boat  was  pulled  in,  and  tied  to  the  shore  for 
purposes  of  trade;  and  here  an  incident  occurred  which  was 
sufficiently  exciting,  and  one  which,  in  the  memory  of  recent 
events,  reads  somewhat  strangely.  Here  seven  negroes 
attacked  the  life  of  the  future  liberator  of  the  race,  and  it 
is  not  improbable  that  some  of  them  have  lived  to  be  eman- 
cipated by  his  proclamation.  Night  had  fallen,  and  the 
two  tired  voyagers  had  lain  down  upon  their  hard  bed  for 
sleep.     Hearing  a  noise  on  shore,  Abraham  sh6uted:  "Who's 


28  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

there?''  The  noise  continuing,  and  no  voice  replying,  he 
sprang  to  his  feet,  and  saw  seven  negroes,  evidently  bent  on 
plunder. 

Abraham  guessed  the  errand  at  once,  and  seizing  a  hand- 
spike, rushed  toward  them,  and  knocked  one  into  the  water 
the  moment  he  touched  the  boat.  The  second,  third  and 
fourth  who  leaped  on  board  were  served  in  the  same  rough 
way.  Seeing  that  they  were  not  likely  to  make  headway 
in  their  thieving  enterprise,  the  remainder  turned  to  flee. 
Abraham  and  his  companion  growing  excited  and  warm  with 
their  work,  leaped  on  shore,  and  followed  them.  Both  were 
too  swift  on  foot  for  the  negroes,  and  all  of  them  received 
a  severe  pounding.  They  returned  to  their  boat  just  as  the 
others  escaped  from  the  water,  but  the  latter  fled  into  the 
darkness  as  fast  as  their  feet  could  carry  them.  Abraham 
and  his  fellow  in  the  fight  were  both  injured,  but  not  dis- 
abled. ]STot  being  armed,  and  unwilling  to  wait  until  the 
negroes  had  received  reinforcements,  they  cut  adrift,  and 
floating  down  a  mile  or  two,  tied  up  to  the  bank  again,  and 
watched  and  waited  for  the  morning. 

The  trip  was  brought  at  length  to  a  successful  end.  The 
cargo,  or  "  load,"  as  they  called  it,  was  all  disposed  of  for 
rnonev,  the  boat  itself  sold  for  lumber,  and  the  voung  men 
retraced  the  passage,  partly,  at  least,  on  shore  and  on  foot, 
occupying  several  weeks  in  the  difficult  and  tedious  journey. 


Lincoln  Splits  Several  Hundred  Rails  for  a  Pair  of  Pants— How 
He  Looked,  as  Described  by  a  Companion. 

A  gentleman  by  the  name  of  George  Cluse,  who  used  U> 
work  with  Abraham  Lincoln  during  his  first  years  in  Illi- 
nois, says  that  at  that  time  he  was  the  roughest  looking 
person  he  ever  saw.  He  was  tall,  angular  and  ungainly, 
wore  trowsers  made  of  flax  and  tow,  cut  tight  at  the  ankle 


EARLY  LIFE.  29 

and  out  at  both  knees.  He  was  known  to  be  very  poor,  but 
he  was  a  welcome  guest  in  every  house  in  the  neighborhood. 
Mr.  Cluse  speaks  of  splitting  rails  with  Abraham,  and  reveals 
some  very  interesting  facts  concerning  wages.  Money  was  a 
commodity  never  reckoned  upon.  Lincoln  split  rails  to  get 
clothing,  and  he  made  a  bargain  with  Mrs.  Nancy  Miller 
to  split  four  hundred  rails  for  every  yard  of  brown  jeans, 
dyed  with  white  walnut  bark,  that  would  be  nescessary  to 
make  him  a  pair  of  trowsers.  In  these  days  Lincoln  used 
to  walk  five,  six,  and  seven  miles  to  work. 


Lincoln's  Story  of  a  Girl  in  New  Salem. 

Among  the  numerous  delegations  which  thronged  Wash- 
ington in  the  early  part  of  the  war,  was  one  from  New 
York,  which  urged  very  strenuously  the  sending  of  a  fleet 
to  the  southern  cities — Charleston,  Mobile  and  Savannah — 
with  the  object  of  drawing  off  the  rebel  army  from  Wash- 
ington. Mr.  Lincoln  said  the  object  reminded  him  of  the 
case  of  a  girl  in  New  Salem,  who  was  greatly  troubled  with 
a  "  singing  "  in  her  head.  Various  remedies  were  suggested 
by  the  neighbors,  but  nothing  tried  afforded  any  relief.  At 
last  a  man  came  along — "  a  common-sense  sort  of  man," 
said  he,  inclining  his  head  towards  the  gentleman  compli- 
mentarily — "  who  was  asked  to  prescribe  for  the  difficulty. 
After  due  inquiry  and  examination,  he  said  the  cure  was 
very  simple. 

'What  is  it?'  was  the  question. 

'  Make  plaster  of  psalm-tunes,  and  apply  to  her  feet,  and 
draw  the  "  singing  "  down,'  was  the  rejoinder." 


30  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

Mrs.  Brown's  Story  of  Young  Abe— How  a  Man  Slept  with  the 
President  of  the  United  States. 

Rev.  A.  Hale,  of  Springfield,  111.,  is  responsible  for  the 
following  interesting  story:  Mr.  Hale,  in  May,  1861  (after 
Lincoln's  election  to  the  Presidency),  went  out  about  seven 
miles  from  his  home  to  visit  a  sick  lady,  and  found  there  a  Mrs. 
Brown  who  had  come  in  as  a  neighbor.  Mr.  Lincoln's  name 
having  been  mentioned,  Mrs .  Brown  said :  "  Well,  I  remem- 
ber Mr.  Linken.  He  worked  with  my  old  man  thirty-four 
year  ago,  and  made  a  crap.  We  lived  on  the  same  farm 
where  we  live  now,  and  he  worked  all  the  season,  and  made 
a  crap  of  corn,  and  the  next  Winter  they  hauled  the  crap 
all  the  way  to  Galena,  and  sold  it  for  two  dollers  and  a  half 
a  bushel.  At  that  time  there  was  no  public  houses,  and 
travelers  were  obliged  to  stay  at  any  house  along  the  road 
that  could  take  them  in.  One  evening  a  right  smart  look* 
ing  man  rode  up  to  the  fence,  and  asked  my  old  man  if  he 
could  get  to  stay  over  night.  '  Well,'  said  Mr.  Brown,  '  we 
can  feed  your  crittur,  and  give  you  something  to  eat,  but 
we  can't  lodge  you  unless  you  can  sleep  on  the  same  bed 
with  the  hired  man.'  The  man  hesitated,  and  asked,  '  Where 
is  he?'  '  Well,  said  Mr.  Brown,  '  you  can  come  and  see  him.' 
So  the  man  got  down  from  his  crittur,  and  Mr.  Brown  took 
him  around  to  where,  in  the  shade  of  the  house,  Mr.  Lin- 
coln lay  his  full  length  on  the  ground,  with  an  open  book 
before  him.  4  There,'  said  Mr.  Brown,  pointing  at  him, 
'  he  is.'  The  stranger  looked  at  him  a  minute,  and  said, 
'  Well,  I  think  he'll  do,'  and  he  staid  and  slept  with  the 
President  of  the  United  States." 


EARLY  LIFE.  31 

When  and  Where  Lincoln  Obtained  the  Name  of  "  Honest  Abe." 

During  the  year  that  Lincoln  was  in  Denton  Offutt's 
store,  that  gentleman,  whose  business  was  somewhat  widely 
and  unwisely  spread  about  the  country,  ceased  to  prosper 
in  his  finances,  and  finally  failed.  The  store  was  shut  up, 
the  mill  was  closed,  and  Abraham  Lincoln  was  out  of  busi- 
ness. The  year  had  been  one  of  great  advances,  in  many 
respects.  He  had  made  new  and  valuable  acquaintances, 
read  many  books,  mastered  the  grammar  of  his  own  tongue, 
won  multitudes  of  friends,  and  become  ready  for  a  step 
still  further  in  advance.  Those  who  could  appreciate  brains 
respected  him,  and  those  whose  highest  ideas  of  a  man 
related  to  his  muscles  were  devoted  to  him.  Every  one 
trusted  him.  It  was  while  he  was  preforming  the  duties  of 
the  store  that  he  acquired  the  soubriquet  "  Honest  Abe  " 
— a  characterization  that  he  never  dishonored,  and  an  abbre- 
viation that  he  never  outgrew.  He  was  judge,  arbritrator5 
referee,  umpire,  authority,  in  all  disputes,  games  and  matches 
of  man-flesh  and  horse-flesh;  a  pacificator  in  all  quarrels; 
everybody's  friend;  the  best  natured,  the  most  sensible,  the 
best  informed,  the  most  modest  and  unassuming,  the  kind- 
est, gentlest,  roughest,  strongest,  best  young  fellow  in  all 
New  Salem  and  the  region  round  about. 


Lincoln's  Mechanical  Ingenuity — His  Patent  Boat. 

That  he  had  enough  mechanical  genius  to  make  him  a 
good  mechanic,  there  is  no  doubt.  With  such  rude  took 
as  were  at  his  command  he  had  made  cabins  and  flat-boats; 
and  after  his  mind  had  become  absorbed  in  public  and  pro- 
fessional affairs  he  often  recurred  to  his  mechanical  dreams 
for  amusement.  One  of  his  dreams  took  form,  and  he  en- 
deavored to  make  a  practical  matter  of  it.     He  Iiad  had 


33  LIXCOLX  STOBIES. 

experience  in  the  early  navigation  of  the  "Western  rivers. 
One  of  the  most  serious  hinderances  to  this  navigation  was 
low  water,  and  the  lodgment  of  the  various  craft  on  the 
shifting  shoals  and  bars  with  which  these  rivers  abound. 
He  undertook  to  contrive  an  apparatus  which,  folded  to  the 
hull  of  a  boat  like  a  bellows,  might  be  inflated  on  occa- 
sion, and,  by  its  levitv.  lift  it  over  any  obstruction  upon 
which  it  iniorht  rest.  On  this  contrivance,  illustrated  bv  a 
model  whittled  out  by  himself,  and  now  preserved  in  the 
Patent  Office  at  "Washington,  he  secured  letters  patent;  but 
it  is  certain  that  the  navigation  of  the  "Western  rivers  was 
not  revolutionized  by  it. 


A  Remarkable  Story — "  Honest  Abe  "  as  Postmaster — How  He 
Kept  the  Identical  Money  in  Trust  for  Many  Years. 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  appointed  Postmaster  by  President 
Jackson.  The  office  was  too  insignificant  to  be  considered 
politically,  and  it  was  given  to  the  young  man  because 
everybody  liked  him,  and  because  he  was  the  only  man  will- 
ing to  take  it  who  could  make  out  the  returns.  He  was 
exceedingly  pleased  with  the  appointment,  because  it  gave 
him  a  chance  to  read  every  newspaper  that  was  taken  in 
the  vicinity.  He  had  never  been  able  to  get  half  the  news- 
papers he  wanted  before,  and  the  office  gave  him  the  pros- 
pect of  a  constant  feast.  Not  wishing  to  be  tied  to  the 
office,  as  it  vielded  him  no  revenue  that  would  reward  him 
for  the  confinement,  he  made  a  Post-office  of  his  hat. 
"Whenever  he  went  out,  the  letters  were  placed  in  his  hat. 
"When  an  anxious  looker  for  a  letter  found  the  Postmaster, 
he  had  found  his  office:  and  the  public  officer,  taking  off 
his  hat,  looked  over  his  mail  wherever  the  public  might 
find  him.  He  kept  the  office  until  it  was  discontinued,  or 
removed  to  Petersburg. 


EARLY  LIFE. 

One  of  the  most  beautiful  exhibit!         rf  Mr.  Lineoln'f 

rigid  honesty  occurred  i  .  with  the  settlement  of 

his  account.-  with  the  Post-office  Department,  several  ye 
afterwards.     It  was  after  he  i.  some  a  lawver,  and  had 

been  a  leg]  He  had  passed  tin      g  --eat 

poverty,  had  acquire  I  hi    ed  in  the  .  the  m 

of  many  per  and  ha 

had  met  with  temptations,  such  as  few  me  t,  to 

make  a  temporary  use  of  any  m  » might  in  his 

hands.  One  day.  seated  in  the  law  office  of  his  partner,  the 
agent  of  the  Post-office  Department  enl  and  inquired 

if  Abraham   Lincoln  within.     Mr.  Lincoln  led 

to  his  name,  and  wa  .~med  that  the  agent  had  called  to 

collect  a  balance  due  the   Depart:,  i         :nce  the  discon- 
tinuance of  the  Xew  Salem  office.    A  shade  of  perples 
passed  over  Mr.  Li:  face,  which  did  not  e  the 

notice  of  friends  wh  present.     One  rn  said  at 

once:  "Lincoln,  if  you  are  in  want  of  money,  let  us  help 
you."  He  made  no  reply,  but  suddenly  rose,  and  pulled 
out  from  a  pile  of  D  littl<    Did  trunk.  I  irning 

to  the  table,  a  e  agent  how  much  the  amount  of 

debt  was.     The  sum  was  named,   and  then   Mr.  Lincoln 
opened   the   trunk,   pulled   out   a   little  package    of  c 
wrapped  in  a  cotton  r-^.  and  counted  out  t-  t  sum., 

amounting   to   something    more   than    seventeen   doh 
After  the  agent  had  left  the  room,  he  remarked  quietly  that 
he  never  used  any  man"s  money  but  bit  though 

this  sum  had  been  in  his  hands  during  all  tL  irs,  he 

had  never  regarded  it  as  available,  even  for  any  temporary 
purpose  of  his  own. 
3 


34  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

How  Lincoln  Piloted  a  Flat-Boat  Over  a  Mill-Dam. 

Governor  Yates,  of  Illinois,  in  a  speech  at  Springfield, 
quoted  one  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  early  friends — TV".  T.  Greene — 
as  having  said  that  the  first  time  he  ever  saw  Mr.  Lincoln, 
he  was  in  the  Sangamon  River  with  his  trousers  rolled  up 
five  feet,  more  or  less,  trying  to  pilot  a  flat-boat  over  a  mill- 
dam.  The  boat  was  so  full  of  water  that  it  was  hard  to 
manage.  Lincoln  got  the  prow  over,  and  then,  instead  of 
waiting  to  bail  the  water  out,  bored  a  hole  through  the 
projecting  part  and  let  it  run  out;  affording  a  forcible  illus- 
tration of  the  ready  ingenuity  of  the  future  President  in 
the  quick  invention  of  moral  expedients. 


Splitting  Rails  and   Studying  Mathematics — Simmons,  Lincoln  & 

Company. 

In  the  year  1855  or  '56,  George  B.  Lincoln,  Esq.,  of 
Brooklyn,  was  traveling  through  the  West  in  connection 
with  a  large  New  Tork  dry-goods  establishment.  He 
found  himself  one  night  in  a  town  on  the  Illinois  River,  by 
the  name  of  Naples.  The  only  tavern  of  the  place  had 
evidently  been  constructed  with  reference  to  business  on  a 
small  scale.  Poor  as  the  prospect  seemed,  Mr.  Lincoln 
had  no  alternative  but  to  put  up  at  the  place.  The  supper- 
room  was  also  used  as  a  lodging-room.  After  supper  and 
a  comfortable  hour  before  the  fire,  Mr.  L.  told  his  host 
that  he  thought  he  would  "  go  to  bed."  "  Bed  !  "  echoed 
the  landlord  ;  "  there  is  no  bed  for  you  in  this  house,  unless 
you  sleep  with  that  man  yonder.  He  has  the  only  one  we 
have  to  spare."  'k  Well,"  returned  Mr.  Lincoln,  "  the 
gentleman  has  possession,  and  perhaps  would  not  like  a 
bedfellow."  Upon  this,  a  grizzly  head  appeared  out  of  the 
pillows,  and  said,    "  What  is  your  name  ?  "     "  They  call 


EARLY  LIFE.  37 

me  Lincoln  at  home,"  was  the  reply.  "  Lincoln  !  "  re- 
peated the  stranger  ;  "any  connection  of  our  Illinois 
Abraham  ? "  "  No,"  replied  Mr.  L.,  "  I  fear  not." 
"  Well,"  said  the  old  man,  "  I  will  let  any  man  by  the 
name  of  '  Lincoln  '  sleep  with  me,  just  for  the  sake  of  the 
name.  You  have  heard  of  Abe  ? "  he  inquired.  "  Oh, 
yes,  very  often,"  replied  Mr.  Lincoln.  "  No  man  could 
travel  far  in  this  State  without  hearing  of  him,  and  I 
would  be  very  glad  to  claim  connection,  if  I  could  do  so 
honestly."  "  Well,"  said  the  old  gentleman,  "  my  name 
is  Simmons.  '  Abe  '  and  I  used  to  live  and  work  together 
when  we  were  young  men.  Many  a  job  of  wood-cutting 
and  rail-splitting  have  I  done  up  with  him.  Abe  Lin- 
coln," said  he,  with  emphasis,  "  was  the  likeliest  boy  in 
God's  world.  He  would  work  all  day  as  hard  as  any  of  us 
— and  study  by  firelight  in  the  log-house  half  the  night  ; 
and  in  this  way  he  made  himself  a  thorough  practical 
surveyor.  Once,  during  those  days,  I  was  in  the  upper 
part  of  the  State,  and  I  met  General  Ewing,  whom  Presi- 
dent Jackson  had  sent  to  the  Northwest  to  make  surveys. 
I  told  him  about  Abe  Lincoln,  what  a  student  he  was,  and 
that  I  wanted  he  should  give  him  a  job.  He  looked  over 
his  memoranda,  and,   pulling  out  a  paper,  said:  '  There  is 

county  must  be  surveyed  ;  if  your  friend  can  do  the 

work  properly,  I  shall  be  glad  to  have  him  undertake  it — 
the  compensation  will  be  six  hundred  dollars  ! '  Pleased 
as  I  conld  be,  I  hastened  to  Abe,  after  I  got  home,  with 
an  account  of  what  I  had  secured  for  him.  He  was  sitting 
before  the  fire  in  the  log-cabin  when  I  told  him;  and  what 
do  you  think  was  his  answer?  When  I  finished,  he  looked 
up  very  quietly,  and  said,  '  Mr.  Simmons,  I  thank  you  very 
sincerely  for  your  kindness,  but  I  don't  think  I  will  under- 
take the  job.'  '  In  the  name  of  wonder,'  said  I,  '  why  ? 
Six  hundred  dollars  does  not  grow  upon  every  bush  out 


38  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

here  in  Illinois.'  '  I  know  that,'  said  Abe,  '  and  I  need 
the  money  bad  enough,  Simmons,  as  you  know;  but  I 
have  never  been  under  obligation  to  a  Democratic  admin- 
istration, and  I  never  intend  to  be  so  long  as  I  can  get  my 
living  another  way.  General  Ewing  must  find  another 
man  to  do  his  work.'  " 

Mr.  Carpenter  related  this  story  to  the  President  one 
day,  and  asked  him  if  it  was  true.  " Pollard  Simmons  !  " 
said  Lincoln  :  "  well  do  I  remember  him.  It  is  correct 
about  our  working  togethe  •  but  the  old  man  must  have 
stretched  the  facts  somevhat  about  the  survey  of  the 
county.  I  think  I  should  have  been  very  glad  of  the  job 
at  that  time,  no  matter  what  administration  was  in  power." 
Notwithstanding  this,  however,  Mr.  Carpenter  was  inclined 
to  believe  Mr.  Simmons  was  not  far  out  of  the  way  and 
thought  his  statement  seemed  very  characteristic  of  what 
Abraham  Lincoln  maybe  supposed  to  have  been  at  twenty- 
three  or  twenty-five  years  of  age. 


Captain  Lincoln — How  he  Became  Captain. 

In  the  threatening"  asDect  of  affairs  at  the  time  of  the 
Black  Hawk  Wrx,  Governor  Reynolds  issued  a  call  for 
volunteers,  and  r.mon:  the  companies  that  immediately 
responded  was  one  from  Menard  County,  Illinois.  Many 
of  the  volunteers  were  from  New  Salem  and  Clary's 
Grove,  and  Lincoh.,.  boinp-  out  of  business,  was  the  first  to 
enlist.  The  company  bjing  full,  they  held  a  meeting  at 
Richland  for  the  election  of  jfficers.  Lincoln  had  won 
many  hearts,  and  they  told  him  that  he  must  be  their  cap- 
tain. It  was  an  office  that  he  did  not  uspire  to,  and  one 
for  which  he  fol  that  he  had  no  special  fitness;  but  he 
consented  to  be  a  candidate.  There  was  but  one  other 
candidate  for  the  office  (a  Mr.  Kirkpatrick),  and  he  was 


EARLY  LIFE.  39 

one  of  the  most  influential  men  in  the  county.  Previously, 
Kirkpatrick  had  been  an  employer  of  Lincoln,  and  was  so 
overbearing  in  his  treatment  of  the  young  man  that  the 
latter  left  him. 

The  simple  mode  of  electing  their  captain,  adopted  by 
the  company,  was  by  placing  the  candidates  apart,  and 
telling  the  men  to  go  and  stand  with  the  one  they  pre- 
ferred. Lincoln  and  his  competitor  took  their  positions, 
and  then  the  word  was  given.  At  least  three  out  of  every 
four  went  to  Lincoln  at  once.  When  it  was  seen  bv  those 
who  had  ranged  themselves  with  the  other  candidate  that 
Lincoln  was  the  choice  of  the  majority  of  the  company, 
they  left  their  places,  one  by  one,  and  came  over  to  the 
successful  side,  until  Lincoln's  opponent  in  the  friendly 
strife  was  left  standing  almost  alone.  "  I  felt  badly  to  see 
him  cut  so,"  says  a  witness  of  the  scene.  Here  was  an 
opportunity  for  revenge.  The  humble  laborer  was  his  em- 
ployer's captain,  but  the  opportunity  was  never  improved. 
Mr.  Lincoln  frequently  confessed  that  no  subsequent  suc- 
cess of  his  life  had  given  him  half  the  satisfaction  that  this 
election  did.  He  had  achieved  public  recognition  ;  and  to 
one  so  humbly  bred,  the  distinction  was  inexpressibly 
delightful. 


A  Humorous  Speech — Lincoln  in  the  Black  Hawk  War. 

The  friends  of  General  Cass,  when  that  gentleman  was  a 
candidate  for  the  presidency,  endeavored  to  endow  him  with 
a  military  reputation.  Mr.  Lincoln,  at  that  time  a  repre- 
sentative in  Congress,  delivered  a  speech  before  the  House, 
which,  in  its  allusions  to  General  Cass,  was  exquisitely  sar- 
castic and  irresistiby  humorous  : 

"By  the  way,  Mr.  Speaker,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln,  "do 
yon  know  I  am  a  military  hero  ?     Yes,  sir,  in  the  days 


40  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

of  the  Black  Hawk  War,  I  fought,  hied  and  came  away. 
Speaking  of  General  Cass'  career  remind 3  me  of  my  own. 
i  was  not  at  Stiliman's  Defeat,  but  I  was  about  as  near  it 
as  Cass  to  Hull's  surrender ;  and  like  him  I  saw  the 
place  very  soon  afterward.  It  is  quite  certain  I  did  not 
break  my  sword,  for  I  had  none  to  break;  but  I  bent  my 
musket  pretty  badly  on  one  occasion.  *  *  *  *  If 
General  Cass  went  in  advance  of  me  in  picking  whortle- 
berries, I  guess  I  surpassed  him  in  charges  upon  the  wild 
onions.  If  he  saw  any  live,  fighting  Indians,  it  was  more 
than  I  did,  but  I  had  a  good  many  bloody  struggles  with 
the  musquitoes;  and  although  I  never  fainted  from  loss  of 
blood,  I  can  truly  say  i  was  often  very  hungry."  Mr.  Lin- 
coln concluded  by  saying  if  he  ever  turned  democrat  and 
should  run  for  the  Presidency,  he  hoped  they  would  not 
make  fun  of  him  by  attempting  to  make  him  a  military 
hero  ! 


Lincoln's  First  Political  Speech. 

Mr.  Lincoln  made  his  first  political  speech  in  1832,  at 
the  age  of  twenty-three,  when  he  was  a  candidate  for  the 
Illinois  Legislature.  His  opponent  had  wearied  the  audi- 
ence by  a  long  speech,  leaving  him  but  a  short  time  in 
which  to  present  his  views.  He  condensed  all  he  had  to 
say  into  a  few  words,  as  follows  : 

"  Gentlemen,  Fellow-citizens  :  I  presume  you  know  who 
1  am.  I  am  humble  Abraham  Lincoln.  I  have  been 
solicited  by  many  friends  to  become  a  candidate  for  the 
legislature.  My  politics  can  be  briefly  stated.  I  am  in 
favor  of  the  internal  improvement  system,  and  a  high 
protective  tariff.  These  are  my  sentiments  and  political 
principles.  If  elected,  I  sball  be  thankful.  If  not,  it 
will  be  all  the  sama."' 


EARLY  LIFE.  41 

Elected  to  the  Legislature — Lincoln  Walks  to  the  State  Capitol, 

Distant  100  Miles  ! 

Ik  1834,  Lincoln  was  a  candidate  for  the  legislature,  and 
was  elected  by  the  highest  vote  cast  for  any  candidate. 
Major  John  T.  Stuart,  an  officer  in  the  Black  Hawk  War, 
and  whose  acquaintance  Lincoln  made  at  Beardstown,  was 
also  elected.  Major  Stuart  had  already  conceived  the 
highest  opinion  of  the  young  man,  and  seeing  much  of 
him  during  the  canvass  for  the  election,  privately  advised 
him  to  study  law.  Stuart  was  himself  engaged  in  a  large 
and  lucrative  legal  practice  at  Springfield.  Lincoln  said 
he  was  poor — that  he  had  no  money  to  buy  books,  or  to  live 
where  books  might  be  borrowed  and  used.  Major  Stuart 
offered  to  lend  him  all  he  needed,  and  he  decided  to  take 
the  kind  lawyer's  advice,  and  accept  his  offer.  At  the  close 
of  the  canvass  which  resulted  in  his  election,  he  walked  to 
Springfield,  borrowed  "  a  load "  of  books  of  Stuart,  and 
took  them  home  with  him  to  New  Salem.  Here  he  began 
the  study  of  law  in  good  earnest,  though  with  no  preceptor. 
He  studied  while  he  had  bread,  and  then  started  out  on  a 
surveying  tour,  to  win  the  money  that  would  buy  more. 
One  who  remembers  his  habits  during  this  period  says 
that  he  went,  day  after  day,  for  weeks,  and  sat  under  an 
oak  tree  on  a  hill  near  New  Salem  and  read,  moving 
around  to  keep  in  the  shade,  as  the  sun  moved.  He  was 
so  much  absorbed  that  some  people  thought  and  said  that 
he  was  crazy.  Not  unfrequently  he  met  and  passed  his 
best  friends  without  noticing  them.  The  truth  was  that 
he  had  found  the  pursuit  of  his  life,  and  had  become  very 
much  in  earnest. 

During  Lincoln's  campaign,  he  possessed  and  rode  a 
horse,  to  procure  which  he  had  quite  likely  sold  his  com' 
pass  and  chain,  for,  as  soon  as  the  canvass  had  closed,  he 


42  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

sold  the  horse,  and  bong-lit  these  instruments  indispensable 
to  him  in  the  only  pursuit  by  which  he  could  make  his 
living.  When  the  time  for  the  assembling  of  the  legisla- 
ture approached,  Lincoln  dropped  his  law  books,  shouldered 
his  pack,  and.  on  foot,  trudged  to  Yandalia,  then  the  capital 
of  the  State,  about  a  hundred  miles,  to  make  his  entrance 
into  public  life. 


"  The  Long  Nine" — Lincoln  the  Longest  of  All. 

The  Sangamon  County  delegation  to  the  Illinois  Legisla- 
ture, in  1S34,  of  which  Lincoln  was  a  member,  consisting 
of  nine  representatives,  was  so  remarkable  for  the  physical 
altitude  of  its  members  that  they  were  known  as  "  The 
Long  Xine."  Xot  a  member  of  the  number  was  less  than 
six  feet  high,  and  Lincoln  was  the  tallest  of  the  nine,  as  he 
was  the  leading  man  intellectually,  in  and  out  of  the  House. 
Among  those  who  composed  the  House,  were  General  John 
A.  McClernand,  afterwards  a  member  of  Congress;  Jesse 
K.  Dubois,  afterwards  Auditor  of  the  State;  James  Semple, 
afterwards  twice  the  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives, and  subsequently  United  States  Senator;  Robert 
Smith,  afterwards  member  of  Congress;  John  Hogan, 
afterwards  a  member  of  Congress  from  St.  Louis;  General 
James  Shields,  afterwards  United  States  Senator  (who 
died  recently);  John  Dement,  who  has  since  been 
Treasurer  of  the  State;  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  whose 
subsequent  public  career  is  familiar  to  all;  Xewton  Cloud, 
President  of  the  Convention  which  framed  the  present  State 
Constitution  of  Illinois;  John  J.  Hardin,  who  fell  at  Buena 
Vista;  John  Moore,  afterwards  Lieutenant  Governor  of  the 
State;  "William  A.  Richardson,  subsequently  LTnited  States 
Senator,  and  William  McMurtry,  who  has  since  been  Lieu- 
tenant Governor  of  the  State.     This  list  does  not  embrace 


EARLY  LIFE.  43 

all  who  had  then,  or  who  have  since  been  distinguished,  but 
it  is  large  enough  to  show  that  Lincoln  was,  during  the 
term  of  this  legislature,  thrown  into  association,  and  often 
into  antagonism,  with  the  brightest  men  of  the  new  state. 


Returning  from  the  Legislature — "  No  Wonder  Lincoln  was  Cold" — 
A  Joke  on  Lincoln's  Big  Feet. 

He  had  walked  his  hundred  miles  to  Yandalia,  in  1836, 
as  he  did  in  1834,  and  when  the  session  closed  he  walked 
home  again.  A  gentleman  in  Menard  County  remembers 
meeting  him  and  a  detachment  of  "  The  Long  Nine  "  on 
their  way  home.  They  were  all  mounted  except  Lincoln, 
who  had  thus  far  kept  up  with  them  on  foot.  If  he  had 
money  he  was  hoarding  it  for  more  important  purposes 
than  that  of  saving  leg- weariness  and  leather.  The  weather 
was  raw,  and  Lincoln's  clothing  were  none  of  the  warmest. 
Complaining  of  being  cold  to  one  of  his  companions,  this 
irreverent  member  of  "  The  Long  Nine "  told  his  future 
President  that  it  was  no  wonder  he  was  cold — "  there  was 
so  much  of  him  on  the  ground."  None  of  the  party  appre- 
ciated this  homely  joke  at  the  expense  of  his  feet  (they  were 
doubtless  able  to  bear  it)  more  thoroughly  than  Lincoln 
himself.  "We  can  imagine  the  cross-fires  of  wit  and  humor 
by  which  the  way  was  enlivened  during  this  cold  and  tedious 
journey.  The  scene  was  certainly  a  rude  one,  and  seems 
more  like  a  dream  than  a  reality,  when  we  remember  that 
it  occurred  not  very  many  years  ago,  in  a  state  which  now 
contains  hardly  less  than  three  millions  of  people  and 
seven  thousand  six  hundred  miles  of  railway. 


U  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

Lmcoin  p  Marriage— Boarding  at  g4  per  Week— Some  Very  Interest- 
ug  Letters— A  Peep  into  Lincoln'^  Social  Life. 

In  1842,  in  his  thirty-third  year,  Mr.  Lincoln  married 
Miss  Mary  Todd,  a  daughter  of  Hon.  Robert  S.  Todd,  of 
Lexington,  Kentucky.  The  marriage  took  place  in  Spring- 
field, where  the  lady  had  for  several  years  resided,  on  the 
fourth  of  ^November  of  the  year  mentioned.  It  is  probable 
that  he  married  as  early  as  the  circumstances  of  his  life  per- 
mitted, for  he  had  always  loved  the  society  of  women,  and 
possessed  a  nature  that  took  profound  delight  in  intimate 
female  companionship.  A  letter  written  on  the  eighteenth 
of  May  following  his  marriage,  to  J.  F.  Speed,  Esq.,  of 
Louisville,  Kentucky,  an  early  and  a  life-long  personal  friend, 
gives  a  pleasant  glimpse  of  his  domestic  arrangements  at 
this  time.  "  We  are  not  keeping  house,"  Mr.  Lincoln  says 
in  this  letter,  "  but  boarding  at  the  Globe  Tavern,  which  is 
very  well  kept  now  by  a  widow  lady  of  the  name  of  Beck. 
Our  rooms  are  the  same  Dr.  "Wallace  occupied  there,  and 
boarding  only  costs  four  dollars  a  week.  *  *  *  I  most 
heartily  wish  you  and  your  Fanny  will  not  fail  to  come. 
Just  let  us  know  the  time,  a  week  in  advance,  and  we  will 
have  a  room  prepared  for  you,  and  we'll  all  be  merry  together 
for  awhile."  He  seems  to  have  been  in  excellent  spirits,  and 
to  have  been  very  hearty  in  the  enjoyment  of  his  new  rela- 
tion. The  private  letters  of  Mr.  Lincoln  were  charmingly 
natural  and  sincere.  His  personal  friendships  were  the 
sweetest  sources  of  his  happiness. 

To  a  particular   friend,  he    wrote  February   25,   1842: 

"Yours  of  the  sixteenth,  announcing  that  Miss  and 

you  '  are  no  longer  twain,  but  one  flesh,'  reached  me  this 
morning.  I  have  no  way  of  telling  you  how  much  happi- 
ness I  wish  you  both,  though  I  believe  you  both  can  con- 
ceive it.     I  feel  somewhat  jealous  of  both  of  you  now,  for 


EARLY  LIFE.  45 

you  will  be  so  exclusively  concerned  for  one  another  that  I 
shall  be  forgotten  entirely.      My  acquaintance  with  Miss 

(1  call  her  thus  lest  you  should  think  I  am  speaking 

of  your  mother,)  was  too  short  for  me  to  reasonably  hope 
to  long  be  remembered  by  her;  and  still  I  am  sure  I  shall 
not  forget  her  soon.  Try  if  you  can  not  remind  her  of  that 
debt  she  owes  me,  and  be  sure  you  do  not  interfere  to  pre- 
vent her  paying  it. 

"  I  regret  to  learn  that  you  have  resolved  not  to  return  to 
Illinois.  I  shall  be  very  lonesome  without  you.  How  mis- 
erably things  seem  to  be  arranged  in  this  world!  If  we 
have  no  friends  we  have  no  pleasure;  and  we  have  them, 
we  are  sure  to  lose  them,  and  be  doubly  pained  by  the  loss. 
I  did  hope  she  and  you  would  make  your  home  here,  yet  I 
own  1  have  no  right  to  insist.  You  owe  obligations  to  her 
ten  thousand  times  more  sacred  than  any  you  can  owe  to 
others,  and  in  that  light  let  them  be  respected  and  observed. 
It  is  natural  that  she  should  desire  to  remain  with  her  rela- 
tions and  friends.  As  to  friends,  she  could  not  need  them 
anywhere — she  would  have  them  in  abundance  here.     Give 

my  kind  regards  to  Mr. and  his  family,  particularly  to 

Miss  E.     Also  to  your  mother,  brothers  and  sisters.     Ask 

little  E.  D if  she  will  ride  to  town  with  me  if  I  come 

there  again.     And,  finally,  give a  double  reciprocation 

of  all  the  love  she  sent  me.     Write  me  often,  and  believe 
me,  yours  forever,  Lincoln. 


Lincoln's  Mother— How  He  Loved  Her. 

"A  great  man,"  says  J.  G.  Holland,  "never  drew  his 
infant  life  from  a  purer  or  more  womanly  bosom  than  her 
own;  and  Mr.  Lincoln  always  looked  back  to  her  with  an 
unspeakable  affection.  Long  after  her  sensitive  heart  and 
weary  hands  had  crumbled  into  dust,  and  had  climbed  to 


46  LINCOLN  8T0RTES. 

life  again  in  forest  flowers,  he  said  to  a  friend,  with  tears  in 
his  eyes:  'All  that  I  am,  or  hope  to  be,  I  owe  to  my  angel 
mother — blessings  on  her  memory!' '  She  was  five  feet, 
five  inches  high,  a  slender,  pale,  sad  and  sensitive  woman, 
with  much  in  her  nature  that  was  truly  heroic,  and  much 
that  shrank  from  the  rude  life  around  her.  Her  death 
occurred  in  1818,  scarcely  two  years  after  her  removal  from 
Kentucky  to  Indiana,  and  when  Abraham  was  in  his  tenth 
year.  They  laid  her  to  rest  under  the  trees  near  their 
cabin  home,  and,  sitting  on  her  grave,  the  little  boy  wept 
his  irreparable  loss. 


Gen.    lander's    Early    Recollections   of   Lincoln — Some    Amusing 
Stories  of  Lincoln's  Uncle  Mord. 

I  did  not  travel,  says  General  Linder,  on  the  circuit  in 
1835,  on  account  of  my  health  and  the  health  of  my  wife, 
but  attended  court  at  Charleston  that  Fall,  held  by  Judge 
Grant,  who  had  exchanged  circuits  with  our  judge,  Justin 
Harlan.  It  was  here  I  first  met  Abraham  Lincoln,  of 
Springfield,  at  that  time  a  very  modest  and  retiring  man, 
dressed  in  a  plain  suit  of  mixed  jeans.  He  did  not  make 
any  marked  impression  upon  me,  or  any  other  member  of 
the  bar.  He  was  on  a  visit  to  his  relations  in  Coles,  where 
his  father  and  stepmother  lived,  and  some  of  her  children. 
Lincoln  put  up  at  the  hotel,  and  here  was  where  I  saw  him 
Whether  he  was  reading  law  at  this  time  I  can  not  say. 
Certain  it  is,  he  had  not  been  admitted  to  the  bar,  although 
he  had  some  celebrity,  having  been  a  captain  in  the  Black- 
Hawk  campaign,  and  served  a  term  in  the  Illinois  Legisla- 
ture; but  if  he  won  any  fame  at  that  season  I  have  never 
heard  of  it.  He  had  been  one  of  the  representatives  from 
Sangamon.  If  Lincoln  at  this  time  felt  the  divine  afflatua 
of  greatness  stir  within  him  I  have  never  heard  of  it     It 


EARLY  LIFE.  47 

was  rather  common  among  us  then  in  the  West  to  suppose 
that  there  was  no  Presidential  timber  growing  in  the  North- 
west, yet,  he  doubtless  had  at  that  time  the  stuff  out  of  which 
to  make  half  a  dozen  Presidents. 

I  had  known  his  relatives  in  Kentucky,  and  he  asked  me 
about  them.  His  uncle,  Mordecai  Lincoln,  I  had  known 
form  my  boyhood,  and  he  was  naturally  a  man  of  consider- 
able genius;  he  was  a  man  of  great  drollery,  and  it  would 
almost  make  you  laugh  to  look  at  him.  I  never  saw  but 
one  other  man  whose  quiet,  droll  look  excited  in  me  the 
same  disposition  to  laugh,  and  that  was  Artemas  Ward.  He 
was  quite  a  story-teller,  and  in  this  Abe  resembled  his  Uncle 
Mord,  as  we  all  called  him.  He  was  an  honest  man,  as 
tender-hearted  as  a  woman,  and  to  the  last  degree  charit- 
able and  benevolent. 

No  one  ever  took  offense  at  Uncle  Mord's  stories — not 
even  the  ladies.  I  heard  him  once  tell  a  bevy  of  fashion 
able  girls  that  he  knew  a  very  large  woman  who  had  a  hus 
band  so  small  that  in  the  night  she  often  mistook  him  for 
the  baby,  and  that  upon  one  occasion  she  took  him  up  and 
was  singing  to  him  a  soothing  lullaby,  when  he  awoke  and 
told  her  that  she  was  mistaken,  that  the  baby  was  on  the 
other  side  of  the  bed. 

Lincoln  had  a  very  high  opinion  of  his  uncle,  and  on  one 
occasion  he  said  to  me:  "  Linder,  I  have  often  said  that 
Uncle  Mord  had  run  off  with  the  talents  of  the  family." 

Old  Mord,  as  we  sometimes  called  him,  had  been  in  his 
younger  days  a  very  stout  man,  and  was  quite  fond  of  play- 
ing a  game  of  fisticuffs  with  any  one  who  was  noted  as  a 
champion.  He  told  a  parcel  of  us  once  of  a  pitched  battle 
he  had  fought  with  one  of  the  champions  of  that  day.  He 
said  they  fought  on  the  side  of  a  hill  or  ridge;  that  at  the 
bottom  there  was  a  rut  or  canal,  which  had  been  cut  out  by 
the  freshets.     He  said  they  soon  clinched,  and  he  threw  his 


48  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

man  and  fell  on  top  of  him.  He  said  be  always  thought  he 
had  the  best  eyes  in  the  world  for  measuring  distances,  and 
having  measured  the  distance  to  the  bottom  of  the  hill,  he 
concluded  that  by  rolling  over  and  over  till  they  came  to 
the  bottom  his  antagonist's  body  would  fill  it,  and  he  would 
be  wedged  in  so  tight  that  he  could  whip  him  at  his  leisure. 
So  he  let  the  fellow  turn  him,  and  over  and  over  they  went, 
when  about  the  twentieth  revolution  brought  Uncle  Mord's 
back  in  contact  with  the  bottom  of  the  rut,  "and,"  said  he, 
'•before  lire  could  scorch  a  feather,  I  cried  out  in  stentorian 
voice:    '  Take  him  off!'  " 


Young  Lincoln  and  the  "  Clary's  Grove  Boys  "—A  Wrestling  Match 

and  How  it  Terminated. 

There  lived  at  the  time  young  Lincoln  resided  at  New 
Salem,  Illinois,  in  and  around  the  village,  a  band  of  rollick- 
ing fellows,  or,  more  properly,  roystering  rowdies,  known 
as  the  "  Clary's  Grove  Boys."  The  special  tie  that  united 
them  was  physical  courage  and  prowess.  These  fellows, 
although  they  embraced  in  their  number  many  men  who 
have  since  become  respectable  and  influential,  were  wild 
and  rough  beyond  toleration  in  any  community  not  made 
up  like  that  which  produced  them.  They  pretended  to  be 
''regulators,"  and  were  the  terror  of  all  who  did  not  ac- 
knowledge their  rule;  and  their  mode  of  securing  allegiance 
was  by  flogging  every  man  who  failed  to  acknowledge  it. 
They  took  it  upon  themselves  to  try  the  mettle  of  every 
new  comer,  and  to  learn  the  sort  of  stuff  he  was  made  of. 
Some  of  their  number  was  appointed  to  fight,  wrestle,  or 
run  a  foot-race  with  each  incoming  stranger.  Of  course 
Abraham  Lincoln  was  obliged  to  pass  the  ordeal. 

Perceiving  that  he  was  a  man  who  would  not  easily  be 
floored,  they  selected  their  champion,  Jack  Armstrong,  and 


EARLY  LIFE.  49 

imposed  upon  him  the  task  of  laying  Lincoln  upon  his  back. 
There  is  no  evidence  that  Lincoln  was  an  unwilling  party 
in  the  sport,  for  it  was  what  he  had  always  been  accus- 
tomed to.  The  bout  was  entered  upon,  but  Armstrong 
soon  discovered  that  he  had  met  with  more  than  his  match. 
The  "  Boys  "  were  looking  on,  and,  seeing  that  their  cham- 
pion was  likely  to  get  the  worst  of  it,  did  after  the  manner 
of  such  irresponsible  bands.  They  gathered  around  Lin- 
coln, struck  and  disabled  him,  and  then  Armstrong,  by 
"legging"  him,  got  him  down. 

Most  men  would  have  been  indignant,  not  to  say  furi- 
ously angry,  under  such  foul  treatment  as  this;  but  if  Lin- 
coln was  either,  he  did  not  show  it.  Getting  up  in  perfect 
good  humor,  he  fell  to  laughing  over  his  discomfiture,  and 
joking  about  it.  They  had  all  calculated  upon  making  him 
angry,  and  then  they  intended,  with  the  amiable  spirit  which 
characterized  the  "  Clary's  Grove  Boys,"  to  give  him  a 
terrible  drubbing.  They  were  disappointed,  and,  in  their 
admiration  of  him,  immediately  invited  him  to  become 
one  of  the  company. 


A  Batch  of  Lincoln  Reminiscences  —  The  Turning  Point  in  the 

Great  Man's  Life. 

it  was  while  young  Lincoln  was  engaged  in  the  duties  of 
Offutt's  store  that  the  turning  point  in  his  life  occurred 
Here  he  commenced  the  study  of  English  grammar. 
There  was  not  a  text-book  to  be  obtained  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, but,  hearing  that  there  was  a  copy  of  Kirkham's 
Grammar  in  the  possession  of  a  person  seven  or  eight  miles 
distant,  he  walked  to  his  house  and  succeeded  in  borrowing  it. 

L.  M.  Green,  a  lawyer  of  Petersburg,  in  Menard  County, 
says  that  every  time  he  visited  New  Salem,  at  this  period, 
Lincoln  took  him  out  upon  a  hill,  and  asked  him  to  explain 


50  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

some  point  in  Kirkham  that  had  given  him  trouble.  After 
having  mastered  the  book,  he  remarked  to  a  friend,  that  if 
that  was  what  they  called  a  science,  he  thought  he  could 
"subdue  another." 

Mr.  Green  says  that  Mr.  Lincoln's  talk  at  this  time 
showed  that  he  was  beginning  to  think  of  a  great  life  and 
a  great  destiny.  Lincoln  said  to  him,  on  one  occasion,  that 
all  his  family  seemed  to  have  good  sense,  but,  somehow, 
none  had  ever  become  distinguished.  He  thought  that 
perhaps  he  might  become  so.  He  had  talked,  he  said,  with 
men  who  had  the  reputation  of  being  great  men,  but  he 
could  not  see  that  they  differed  much  from  others! 

During  this  year,  he  was  also  much  engaged  with  de- 
bating clubs,  often  walking  six  or  seven  miles  to  attend 
them.  One  of  these  clubs  held  its  meetings  at  an  old  store- 
house in  New  Salem,  and  the  first  speech  young  Lincoln 
ever  made  was  made  there.  Ho  used  to  call  the  exercise 
"  practicing  polemics."  As  these  clubs  were  composed 
principally  of  men  of  no  education  whatever,  some  of  their 
"  polemics  "  are  remembered  as  the  most  laughable  of  farces. 

His  favorite  newspaper,  at  th:~  time,  was  the  Louisville 
Journal,  a  paper  vhich  he  received  regularly  by  mail,  and 
paid  for  during  a  number  of  year:  when  he  had  not  money 
enough  to  dress  decently.  He  liked  its  politics,  and  was 
particularly  delighted  with  its  wit  and  humor,  of  which  he 
had  the  keenest  appreciation  When  ^ut  of  the  store,  he 
was  always  busy  in  the  pursuit  of  knr    ^-~ge. 

One  gentleman  who  met  him  during  this  period,  says 
that  the  first  time  he  saw  him  he  was  lying  on  a  trundle- 
bed,  covered  with  books  and  papers,  and  rocking  a  cradle 
with  his  foot.  The  whole  scene,  however,  was  entirely  char- 
acteristic— Lincoln  reading  and  studying,  and  at  the  Same 
time  helping  his  landlady  by  quieting  her  child. 


EARLY  LIFE.  61 

**  My  early  history,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln  to  J.  L.  Scripps, 
ft  J,  perfectly  characterized  by  a  single  line  of  Gray's 
EWy: 

1  The  short  and  simple  annals  of  the  poor.1 " 

A  gentleman  who  knew  Mr.  Lincoln  well  in  early  man- 
hood says:  "  Lincoln  at  this  period  had  nothing  but  plenty 
of  friends." 

Says  J.  G.  Holland:  "No  man  ever  lived,  probably, 
who  was  more  a  self-made  man  than  Abraham  Lincoln. 
Not  a  circumstance  of  life  favored  the  development  which 
he  had  reached." 

In  his  seventh  year  Lincoln  attended  his  first  school. 
Zacharia  Riney,  a  Catholic,  whose  memory  Lincoln  always 
revered,  was  the  teacher.  Caleb  Hazel  was  the  second 
teacher,  under  whose  instructions  Lincoln  learned  to  write 
a  good  legible  hand  in  three  months. 

After  the  customary  hand-shaking,  on  one  occasion  at 
"Washington,  several  gentlemen  came  forward  and  asked 
the  President  for  his  autograph.  One  of  them  gave  his 
name  as  "  Cruikshank."  "  That  reminds  me,"  said  Mr. 
Lincoln,  "  of  what  I  used  to  be  called  when  a  young  man — 
'  Long-shanks  P " 

Me.  Holland  says:  "  Lincoln  was  a  religious  man.  The 
fact  may  be  stated  without  any  reservation — with  only  an 
explanation.  He  believed  in  God,  and  in  His  personal 
supervision  of  the  affairs  of  men.  He  believed  himself  to 
be  under  His  control  and  guidance.  He  believed  in  the 
power  and  ultimate  triumph  of  the  right,  through  his  belief 
in  God." 

Governor  Yates,  in  a  speech  at  Springfield,  before  a 
meeting  at  which  William  G.  Greene  presided,  quoted  Mr. 
Greene  as  having  said  that  the  first  time  he  ever  saw  Lin- 
coln he  was  "  in  the   Sangamon  River,  with  his  trousers 

LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


52  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

rolled  up  five  feet  more  or  less,  trying  to  pilot  a  flat-boat 
over  a  mill-dam.  The  boat  was  so  full  of  water  that  it  was 
hard  to  manage.  Lincoln  got  the  prow  over,  and  then,  in- 
stead of  waiting  to  bail  the  water  out,  bored  a  hole  through 
the  projecting  part,  and  let  it  run  out." 

A  prominent  writer  says:  "  Lincoln  was  a  child-like 
man.  ~No  public  man  of  modern  days  has  been  fortunate 
enough  to  carry  into  his  manhood  so  much  of  the  direct- 
ness, truthfulness,  and  simplicity  of  childhood  as  distin- 
guished him.     He  was  exactly  what  he  seemed. 

Mr.  Lincoln  and  Douglas  met  for  the  first  time  when 
the  latter  was  only  23  years  of  age.  Lincoln,  in  speaking 
of  the  fact,  subsequently  said  that  Douglas  was  then  "  the 
least  man  he  ever  saw."  He  was  not  only  very  short,  but 
very  slender. 

Lincoln's  mother  died  in  1818,  scarcely  two  years  after 
her  removal  to  Indiana  from  Kentucky,  and  when  Abraham 
was  in  his  tenth  year.  They  laid  her  to  rest  under  the  trees 
near  the  cabin,  and,  sitting  on  her  grave,  the  little  boy  wept 
his  irreparable  loss. 

The  Black  Hawk  war  was  not  a  very  remarkable  affair. 
It  made  no  military  reputations,  but  it  was  noteworthy  in 
the  single  fact  that  the  two  simplest,  homliest  and  truest 
men  engaged  in  it  afterward  became  Presidents  of  the 
United  States,  viz :  General  (then  Colonel)  Zachary  Taylor, 
and  Abraham  Lincoln.  Mr.  Lincoln  never  spoke  of  it  as 
anything  more  than  an  interesting  episode  in  his  life,  except 
upon  one  occasion  when  he  used  it  as  an  instrument  for 
turning  the  military  pretensions  of  another  into  ridicule. 


STATE  CAPITOL  AT  SPEINGFIELD,  ILL. 


PROFESSIONAL  LIFE.  55 


PROFESSIONAL  LIFE  STORIES. 


How  Lincoln  and  Judge  B Swapped  Horses. 

When  Abraham  Lincoln  was  a  lawyer  in  Illinois,  he  and 
a  certain  Judge  once  got  to  bantering  one  another  about 
trading  horses;  and  it  was  agreed  that  the  next  morning  at 
9  o'clock  they  should  make  a  trade,  the  horses  to  be  unseen 
up  to  that  hour,  and  no  backing  out,  under  a  forfeiture 
of  $25. 

At  the  hour  appointed  the  Judge  came  up,  leading  the 
sorriest-looking  specimen  of  a  horse  ever  seen  in  those 
parts.  In  a  few  minutes  Mr.  Lincoln  was  seen  approach- 
ing with  a  wooden  saw-horse  upon  his  shoulders.  Great 
were  the  shouts  and  the  laughter  of  the  crowd,  and  both 
were  greatly  increased  when  Mr.  Lincoln,  on  surveying  the 
Judge's  animal,  set  down  his  saw-horse,  and  exclaimed: 
"  Well,  Judge,  this  is  the  first  time  I  ever  got  the  worst  of 
it  in  a  horse  trade." 


A  Remarkable   Law  Suit   About  a  Colt — How  Lincoln  Won  the 

Case — Thirty-Four  Men  Against  Thirty  Men 

and  Two  Brutes. 

The  controversy  was  about  a  colt,  in  which  thirty-four 
witnesses  swore  that  they  had  known  the  colt  from  its  fall- 
ing, and  that  it  was  the  property  of  the  plaintiff,  while 
thirty  swore  that  they  had  known  the  colt  from  its  falling, 
and  that  it  was  the  property  of  the  defendant.  It  may  be 
stated,  at  starting,  that  these  witnesses  were  all  honest,  and 
that  the  mistake  grew  out  of  the  exact  resemblances  which 
two  colts  bore  to  each  other. 


56  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

One  circumstance  was  proven  by  all  the  witnesses,  or 
nearly  all  of  them,  viz.:  that  the  two  claimants  of  the  colt 
agreed  to  meet  on  a  certain  day  with  the  two  mares  which 
were  respectively  claimed  to  be  the  dams  of  the  colt,  and 
permit  the  colt  to  decide  which  of  the  two  he  belonged  to. 
The  meeting  occurred  according  to  agreement,  and,  as  it 
was  a  singular  case  and  excited  a  good  deal  of  popular  in- 
terest, there  were  probably  a  hundred  men  assembled  on 
their  horses  and  mares,  from  far  and  near. 

xsow,  the  colt  really  belonged  to  the  defendant  in  the 
case.  It  had  strayed  away  and  fallen  into  company  with 
the  plaintiff's  horses.  The  plaintiff's  colt  had,  at  the  same 
time,  strayed  away,  and  had  not  returned,  and  was  not  to 
be  found.  The  moment  the  two  mares  were  brought  upon 
the  ground,  the  defendant's  mare  and  the  colt  gave  signs  of 
recognition.  The  colt  went  to  its  dam,  and  would  not 
leave  her.  They  fondled  each  other ;  and,  although  the 
plaintiff  brought  his  mare  between  them,  and  tried  in 
various  way  a  to  divert  the  colt's  attention,  the  colt  would 
not  be  separated  from  its  dam.  It  then  followed  her  home, 
a  distance  of  eight  or  ten  miles,  and,  when  within  a  mile  or 
two  of  the  stables,  took  a  short  cut  to  them  in  advance  of 
its  dam.  The  plaintiff  had  sued  to  recover  the  colt  thus 
gone  back  to  its  owner. 

In  the  presentation  of  this  case  to  the  jury,  there  were 
thirty-four  witnesses  on  the  side  of  the  plaintiff,  while  the 
defendant  had,  on  his  side,  only  thirty  witnesses;  but  he 
had  on  his  side  the  colt  itself  and  its  dam — thirtv-four  men 
against  thirty  men  and  two  brutes.  Here  was  a  case  that 
was  to  be  decided  by  the  preponderance  of  evidence.  All 
the  witnesses  were  equally  positive,  and  equally  credible. 
Mr.  Lincoln  was  on  the  side  of  the  defendant,  and  con- 
tended that  the  voice  of  nature  in  the  mare  and  colt  ought 
to  outweigh  the  testimony  of  a  hundred  men.     The  jury 


PROFESSIONAL  LIFE.  57 

were  all  farmers,  and  all  illiterate  men,  and  he  took  great 
pains  to  make  them  understand  what  was  meant  by  the 
"  preponderance  of  evidence."  He  said  that  in  a  civil 
suit,  absolute  certainty,  or  such  certainty  as  would  be  re- 
quired to  convict  a  man  of  crime,  was  not  essential.  They 
must  decide  the  case  according  to  the  impression  which  the 
evidence  had  produced  upon  their  minds,  and,  if  they  felt 
puzzled  at  all,  he  would  give  them  a  test  by  which  they 
could  bring  themselves  to  a  just  conclusion.  "  Now,"  said 
he,  "if  you  were  going  to  bet  on  this  case,  on  which  side 
would  you  be  willing  to  risk  a  picayune?  That  side  on 
which  you  would  be  willing  to  bet  a  picayune,  is  the  side 
on  which  rests  the  preponderance  of  evidence  in  your 
minds.  It  is  possible  that  you  may  not  be  right,  but  that 
is  not  the  question.  The  question  is  as  to  where  the  pre- 
ponderance of  evidence  lies,  and  you  can  judge  exactly 
where  it  lies  in  your  minds,  by  deciding  as  to  which  side 
you  would  be  willing  to  bet  on." 

The  jury  understood  this.  There  was  no  mystification 
about  it.  They  had  got  hold  of  a  test  by  which  they  could 
render  an  intelligent  verdict.  Mr.  Lincoln  saw  into  their 
minds,  and  knew  exactly  what  they  needed;  and  the 
moment  they  received  it,  he  knew  that  his  case  was  safe, 
as  a  quick  verdict  for  the  defendant  proved  it  to  be.  In 
nothing  connected  with  this  case  was  the  ingenuity  of  Mr. 
Lincoln  more  evident,  perhaps,  than  in  the  insignificance 
of  the  sum  which  he  placed  in  risk  by  the  hypothetical 
wager.  It  was  not  a  hundred  dollars,  or  a  thousand  dollars, 
or  even  a  dollar,  but  the  smallest  silver  coin,  to  show  to 
them  that  the  verdict  should  go  with  the  preponderance  of 
evidence,  even  if  the  preponderance  should  be  only  a  hair's 
weight. 


58  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

Lincoln's  Story  of   a  Young    Lawyer  as   He  Told  it  to   General 

Garfield. 

General  Garfield,  of  Ohio,  received  from  the  President 
the  account  of  the  capture  of  Norfolk  with  the  following 
preface:  "  By  the  way,  Garfield,"  said  JMr.  Lincoln,  "  you 
never  heard,  did  you,  that  Chase,  Stanton,  and  I,  had  a 
campaign  of  our  own  ?  We  went  down  to  Fortress  Monroe 
in  Chase's  revenue  cutter,  and  consulted  with  Admiral 
Goldsborough  as  to  the  feasibility  of  taking  Norfolk  by 
landing  on  the  north  shore  and  making  a  march  of  eight 
miles.  The  Admiral  said,  very  positively,  there  was  no 
landing  on  that  shore,  and  we  should  have  to  double  the 
cape  and  approach  the  place  from  the  south  side,  which 
would  be  a  long  and  difficult  journey.  I  thereupon  asked 
him  if  he  had  ever  tried  to  find  a  landing,  and  he  replied 
that  he  had  not. 

" '  Now,'  said  I,  '  Admiral,  that  reminds  me  of  a  chap 
out  West  who  had  studied  law,  but  had  never  tried  a  case. 
Being  sued,  and  not  having  confidence  in  his  ability  to 
manage  his  own  case,  he  employed  a  fellow- lawyer  to  man- 
age it  for  him.  He  had  only  a  confused  idea  of  the  mean- 
ing of  law  terms,  but  was  anxious  to  make  a  display  of 
learning,  and  on  the  trial  constantly  made  suggestions  to 
his  lawyer,  who  paid  no  attention  to  him.  At  last,  fearing 
that  his  lawyer  was  not  handling  the  opposing  counsel  very 
well,  he  lost  all  patience,  and,  springing  to  his  feet,  cried 
out:  "  Why  don't  you  go  at  him  with  a  capias,  or  a  surre- 
butter, or  something,  and  not  stand  there  like  a  confounded 
old  nudum-pactum?" 


PROFESSIONAL  LIFE.  59 

Lincoln  and  His  Step-Mother — How  He  Bought  Her  a  Farm. 

Soon  after  Mr.  Lincoln  entered  upon  his  profession  at 
Springfield,  he  was  engaged  in  a  criminal  case  in  which  it 
was  thought  there  was  little  chance  of  success.  Throwing; 
all  his  powers  into  it  he  came  off  victorious,  and  promptly 
received  for  his  services  five  hundred  dollars.  A  legal 
friend  calling  upon  him  the  next  morning  found  him 
sitting  before  a  table,  upon  which  his  money  was  spread 
out,  counting  it  over  and  over. 

"Look  here,  Judge,"  said  Lincoln;  "See  what  a  heap  of 

money  I've  got  from   the  case.     Did  you   ever  see 

anything  like  it  ?  Why,  I  never  had  so  much  money  in 
my  life  before,  put  it  all  together  ? "  Then  crossing  his 
arms  upon  the  table,  his  manner  sobering  down,  he  added, 
"  I  have  got  just  five  hundred  dollars  :  if  it  were  only  seven 
hundred  and  fifty,  I  would  go  directly  and  purchase  a 
quarter  section  of  land,  and  settle  it  upon  my  old  step- 
mother." 

His  friend  said  that  if  the  deficiency  was  all  he  needed 
he  would  loan  him  the  amount,  taking  his  note,  to  which 
Mr.  Lincoln  instantly  acceded. 

His  friend  then  said  :  "  Lincoln,  I  would  not  do  just 
what  you  have  indicated.  Your  step-mother  is  getting  old, 
and  will  not  probably  live  many  years.  I  would  settle  the 
property  upon  her  for  her  use  during  her  lifetime,  to  revert 
to  you  upon  her  death." 

With  much  feeling,  Mr.  Lincoln  replied :  "  I  shall  do  no 
such  thing.  It  is  a  poor  return,  at  the  best,  for  all  the  good 
woman's  devotion  and  fidelity  to  me,  and  there  is  not  going 
to  be  any  half-way  business  about  it  ;"  and  so  saying,  he 
gathered  up  his  money,  and  proceeded  forthwith  to  carry 
his  long-cherished  purpose  into  execution. 


60  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

A  Famous  Story — How  Lincoln  was  Presented  with  a  Knife ! 

It  is  said  that  Mr.  Lincoln  was  always  ready  to  join  in 
a  laugh  at  the  expense  of  his  person,  concerning  which  he 
was  indifferent.  Many  of  his  friends  will  recognize  the 
following  story — the  incident  having  actually  occurred — 
which  Lincoln  always  told  with  great  glee  : 

u  In  the  days  when  I  used  to  be  '  on  the  circuit,' "  said 
Lincoln,  "  I  was  accosted  in  the  cars  by  a  stranger,  who 
said : 

"  ■  Excuse  me,  sir,  but  I  have  an  article  in  my  possession 
which  belongs  to  you.' 

"  •  Mow  is  that  ? '    I  asked,  considerably  astonished. 

"  The  stranger  took  a  jack-knife  from  his  pocket.  ''  This 
knife,'  said  he,  '  was  placed  in  my  hands  some  years  ago, 
with  the  injunction  that  I  was  to  keep  it  until  I  found  a 
man  uglier  than  myself.  I  have  carried  it  from  that  time 
to  this.  Allow  me  now  to  say,  sir,  that  I  think  you  are 
fairly  entitled  to  the  property.'  " 


An  Amusing  Story  Concerning  Thompson  Campbell. 

Among  the  numerous  visitors  on  one  of  the  President's 
reception  days,  were  a  party  of  Congressmen,  among  whom 
was  the  Hon.  Thomas  Shannon,  of  California.  Soon  after 
the  customary  greeting,  Mr.  Shannon  said  : 

"Mr.  President,  I  met  an  old  friend  of  yours  in  Califor- 
nia last  Summer,  Thompson  Campbell,  who  had  a  good  deal 
to  say  of  your  Springfield  life." 

"Ah!"  returned  Mr.  Lincoln,  "I  am  glad  to  hear  of 
him.  Campbell  used  to  be  a  dry  fellow,"  he  continued. 
"  For  a  time  he  was  Secretary  of  State.  One  day,  during 
the  legislative  vacation,  a  meek,  cadaverous-looking  man, 
with  a  white  neck-cloth,  introduced  himself  to  him  at  his 


PROFESSIONAL  LIFE.  61 

office,  and,  stating  that  he  had  been  informed  that  Mr. 
C.  had  the  letting  of  the  Assembly  Chamber,  said  that  he 
wished  to  secure  it,  if  possible,  for  a  course  of  lectures  he 
desired  to  deliver  in  Springfield. 

"  '  May  I  ask,'  said  the  Secretary,  '  what  is  to  be  the 
subject  of  your  lectures  ? ' 

"'Certainly,'  was  the  reply,  with  a  very  solemn  expres- 
sion of  countenance.  'The  course  I  wish  to  deliver,  is  on 
the  Second  Coming  of  our  Lord.' 

"  '  It  is  of  no  use,'  said  C.  '  If  you  will  take  my  advice, 
you  will  not  waste  your  time  in  this  city.  It  is  my  private 
opinion  that  if  the  Lord  has  been  in  Springfield  once,  He 
will  not  come  the  second  time  /'  " 


The  Lincoln-Shields  Duel — How  it  Originated. 

The  late  Gen.  Shields  was  Auditor  of  the  State  of  Illi- 
nois in  1839.  While  he  occupied  this  important  office  he 
was  involved  in  an  "  affair  of  honor  "  with  a  Springfield 
lawyer — no  less  a  personage  than  Abraham  Lincoln.  At 
this  time  "  James  Shields,  Auditor,"  was  the  pride  of  the 
young  Democracy,  and  was  considered  a  dashing  fellow  by 
all,  the  ladies  included.  In  the  Summer  of  1842  the  Spring- 
field Journal  contained  some  letters  from  the  "  Lost  Town- 
ships," by  a  contributor  whose  nom  de  plume  was  "  Aunt 
-Secca,"  which  held  up  the  gallant  young  Auditor  as  "  a  ball- 
oom  dandy,  floatin'  about  on  the  earth  without  heft  or  sub- 
stance, just  like  a  lot  of  cat-fur  where  cats  had  been  fightin'." 
These  letters  caused  intense  excitement  in  the  town. 
Nobody  knew  or  guessed  their  authorship.  Shields  swore 
it  would  be  coffee  and  pistols  for  two  if  he  should  find  out 
who  had  been  lampooning  him  so  unmercifully.  Thereupon 
"AuntBecca"  wrote  another  letter,  which  made  the  fur- 
jw*£i?.  of  his  wrath  seven  times  hotter  than  before,  in  which 


62  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

she  made  a  very  humble  apology,  and  offered  to  let  him 
squeeze  her  hand  for  satisfaction,  adding: 

"  If  this  should  not  answer,  there  is  one  thing  more  I 
would  rather  do  than  to  get  a  lickin'.  I  have  all  along 
expected  to  die  a  widow;  but,  as  Mr.  Shields  is  rather  good- 
looking  than  otherwise,  I  must  say  I  don't  care  if  we  com- 
promise the  matter  by — really,  Mr.  Printer,  I  can't  help 
blushin' — but  I — must  come  out — I — but  widowed  modesty 
— well,  if  I  must,  I  must — wouldn't  he — maybe  sorter  le 
the  old  grudge  drap  if  I  was  to  consent  to  be — be — his  wife 
I  know  he  is  a  fightin'  man,  and  would  rather  fight  than  eat; 
but  isn't  marryin'  better  than  fightin',  though  it  does  some- 
times run  into  it?  And  I  don't  think,  upon  the  whole,  I'd. 
be  sich  a  bad  match,  neither;  I'm  not  over  sixty,  and  am 
jest  four  feet  three  in  my  bare  feet,  and  not  much  more 
round  the  girth;  and  for  color,  I  wouldn't  turn  my  back  to 
nary  a  girl  in  the  Lost  Townships.  But,  after  all,  maybe 
I'm  countin'  my  chickens  before  they're  hatched,  and 
dreamin1  of  matrimonial  bliss  when  the  only  alternative 
reserved  for  me  maybe  a  lickin'.  Jeff  tells  me  the  way 
these  fire-eaters  do  is  to  give  the  challenged  party  the  choice 
of  weapons,  which,  being  the  case,  I  tell  you  in  confidence, 
I  never  fight  with  anvthing:  but  broomsticks  or  hot  water, 
or  a  shovelful  of  coals  or  some  such  thing;  the  former  of 
which,  being  somewhat  like  a  shillelah,  may  not  be  so  very 
objectionable  to  him.  I  will  give  him  a  choice,  however, 
in  one  thing,  and  that  is  whether,  when  we  fight,  I  shall 
wear  breeches  or  he  petticoats,  for  I  presume  this  change 
is  sufficient  to  place  us  on  an  equality." 

Of  course  some  one  had  to  shoulder  the  responsibility  of 
these  letters  after  such  a  shot.  The  real  author  was  none 
other  than  Miss  Mary  Todd,  afterward  the  wife  of  Abraham 
Lincoln,  to  whom  she  was  engaged,  and  who  was  in  honor 
bound  to  assume,  for  belligerent  purposes,  the  responsibil- 


PROFESSIONAL  LIFE.  63 

ity  of  her  sharp  pen-thrusts.  Mr.  Lincoln  accepted  the 
situation.  Not  long  after  the  two  men,  with  their  seconds, 
were  on  their  way  to  the  field  of  honor.  But  the  affair 
was  fixed  up  without  any  fighting,  and  thus  ended  in  a 
fizzle  the  Lincoln-Shields  duel  of  the  Lost  Townships. 


Lincoln's  Story  of  Joe  Wilson  and  His  "  Spotted  Animals  " — Slow 

Progress  in  Killing  Cats. 

Although  the  friendly  relations  which  existed  between 
the  President  and  Secretary  Cameron  were  not  interrupted 
by  the  retirement  of  the  latter  from  the  War  Office,  so 
important  a  change  in  the  Administration  could  not  of 
course  take  place  without  the  irrepressible  "story"  from 
Mr.  Lincoln.  Shortly  after  this  event  some  gentlemen 
culled  upon  the  President,  and  expressing  much  satisfac- 
tion at  the  change,  intimated  that  in  their  judgment  the 
interests  of  the  country  required  an  entire  reconstruction  of 
the  Cabinet. 

Mr.  Lincoln  heard  them  through,  and  then  shaking  his 
head  dubiously,  replied,  with  his  peculiar  smile:  "  Gentle- 
men, when  I  was  a  young  man  I  used  to  know  very  well  one 
Joe  Wilson,  who  built  himself  a  log-cabin  not  far  from  where 
I  lived.  Joe  was  very  fond  of  eggs  and  chickens,  and  he 
took  a  good  deal  of  pains  in  fitting  up  a  poultry  shed. 
Having  at  length  got  together  a  choice  lot  of  young  fowls 
— of  which  he  was  very  proud — he  began  to  be  much 
annoyed  by  the  depredations  of  those  little  black  and  white 
spotted  animals,  which  it  is  not  necessary  to  name.  One 
night  Joe  was  awakened  by  an  unusual  cackling  and  fluttering 
among  his  chickens.  Getting  up,  he  crept  out  to  see  what 
was  going  on. 

"  It  was  a  moonlight  night,  and  he  soon  caught  sight  of 
half  a  dozen  of  the  little  pests,  which,  with  their  dam,  were 


64  •  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

running  in  and  out  of  the  shadow  of  the  shed.  Very 
wrathy,  Joe  put  a  double  charge  into  his  old  musket,  and 
thought  he  would  'clean  '  out  the  whole  tribe  at  one  shot. 
Somehow  he  only  killed  one,  and  the  balance  scampered  off 
across  the  field.  In  telling  the  story,  Joe  would  always 
pause  here,  and  hold  his  nose. 

«  <  Why  didn't  you  follow  them  up,  and  kill  the  rest?' 
inquired  the  neighbors. 

"  '  Blast  it,'  said  Joe,  '  why,  it  was  eleven  weeks  before  I 
got  over  killin'  one.  If  you  want  any  more  skirmishing  in 
that  line  you  can  just  do  it  yourselves!'" 


An  Incident  Related  by  One  of  Lincoln's  Clients. 

It  was  not  possible  for  Mr.  Lincoln  to  regard  his  clients 
simply  in  the  light  of  business.  An  unfortunate  man  was 
a  subject  of  his  sympathy,  a  Mr.  Cogdal,  who  related  the 
incident  to  Mr.  Holland,  met  with  a  financial  wreck  in  1843. 
He  employed  Mr.  Lincoln  as  his  lawyer,  and  at  the  close  of 
the  business,  gave  him  a  note  to  cover  the  regular  lawyer's 
fees.  He  was  soon  afterwards  blown  up  by  an  accidental 
discharge  of  powder,  and  lost  his  hand.  Meeting  Mr.  Lin- 
coln some  time  after  the  accident,  on  the  steps  of  the  State 
House,  the  kind  lawyer  asked  him  how  he  was  getting  along. 

"  Badly  enough,"  replied  Mr.  Cogdal,  "  I  am  both  broken 
up  in  business  and  crippled."  Then  he  added,  "  I  have  been 
thinking  about  that  note  of  yours." 

Mr.  Lincoln,  who  had  probably  known  all  about  Mr. 
Cogdal's  troubles,  and  had  prepared  himself  for  the  meet- 
ing, took  out  his  pocket-book,  and  saying,  with  a  laugh, 
"  well,  you  needn't  think  any  more  about  it,"  handed  him 
the  note. 

Mr.  Oogdal  protesting,  Mr.  Lincoln  said,  "  if  you  had 
the  money,  I  would  not  take  it,"  and  hurried  away. 


PROFESSIONAL  LIFE.;  65 

At  this  same  date,  he  was  frankly  writing  about  his  pov- 
erty to  his  friends,  as  a  reason  for  not  making  them  a  visit, 
and  probably  found  it  no  easy  task  to  take  care  of  his  fam- 
ily, even  when  board  at  the  Globe  Tavern  was  "  only  four 
dollars  a  week." 


Lincoln's  Valor — He  Defends  Col.  Baker. 

On  one  occasion  when  Col.  Baker  was  speaking  in  a 
court-house,  which  had  been  a  store-house,  and,  on  making 
some  remarks  that  were  offensive  to  certain  political  row- 
dies in  the  crowd,  they  cried  :  "  Take  him  off  the  stand." 
Immediate  confusion  ensued,  and  there  was  an  attempt  to 
carry  the  demand  into  execution.  Directly  over  the 
speaker's  head  was  an  old  scuttle,  at  which  it  appeared  Mr. 
Lincoln  had  been  listening  to  the  speech.  In  an  instant, 
Mr.  Lincoln's  feet  came  through  the  scuttle,  followed  by 
his  tall  and  sinewy  frame,  and  he  was  standing  by  Colonel 
Baker's  side.  He  raised  his  hand,  and  the  assembly  sub- 
sided immediately  into  silence. 

"Gentlemen,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln,  "let  us  not  disgrace 
the  age  and  country  in  which  we  live.  This  is  a  land  where 
freedom  of  speech  is  guaranteed.  Mr.  Baker  has  a  right  to 
speak,  and  ought  to  be  permitted  to  do  so.  I  am  here  to 
protect  him,  and  no  man  shall  take  him  from  this  stand  if 
I  can  prevent  it." 

The  suddenness  of  his  appearance,  his  perfect  calmness 
and  fairness,  and  the  knowledge  that  he  would  do  what  he 
had  promised  to  do,  quieted  all  disturbance,  and  the  speaker 
concluded  his  remarks  without  difficulty. 
ft 


66  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

The  Judge  and  the  Drunken  Coachman. 

Attorney-General  Bates  was  once  remonstrating  with  the 
President  against  the  appointment  to  a  judicial  position  of 
considerable  importance  of  a  western  man,  who,  though 
on  the  "  bench,"  was  of  indifferent  reputation  as  a 
lawyer. 

"Well   now,  Judge,"  returned  Mr.  Lincoln,   "I   think 

you  are  rather  too  hard  on .     Besides  that,  I  must  tell 

you,  he  did  me  a  good  turn  long  ago.  When  I  took  to  the 
law,  I  was  walking  to  court  one  morning,  with  some  ten  or 

twelve  miles  of  bad  road  before  me,  when overtook 

me  in  his  wagon. 

"  '  Hallo,  Lincoln  ! '  said  he  ;  '  going  to  the  court-house? 
Come  in  and  I  will  give  you  a  seat.' 

"  Well,  I  got  in,  and went  on  reading  his   papers. 

Presently  the  wagon  struck  a  stump  on  one  side  of  the 
road  ;  then  it  hopped  off  to  the  other.  I  looked  out  and 
saw  the  driver  was  jerking  from  side  to  side  in  his  seat : 
so  said  I,  '  Judge,  I  think  your  coachman  has  been  taking 
a  drop  too  much  this  morning.' 

"  '  Well,  I  declare,  Lincoln.'  said  he,  '  I  should  not  much 
wonder  if  you  are  right,  for  he  has  nearly  upset  me  half-a- 
dozen  times  since  starting.  So,  putting  his  head  out  of 
the  window,  he  shouted,  '  Why  you  infernal  scoundrel, 
you  are  drunk  ! ' 

"  Upon  which  pulling  up  his  horses  and  turning  round 
with  great  gravity,  the  coachman  said  '  Be  dad  !  but  that's 
the  first  rightful  decision  your  honor  has  given  for  the 
last  twelve  months! '  " 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 


PROFESSIONAL  LIFE.  67 

Honest  Abe  and   his   Lady   Client. 

About  the  time  Mr.  Lincoln  began  to  be  known  as  a  suc- 
cessful lawyer,  he  was  waited  upon  by  a  lady,  who  held  a 
real-estate  claim  which  she  desired  to  have  him  prosecute, 
putting  into  his  hands,  with  the  necessary  papers,  a  check 
for  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  as  a  retaining  fee.  Mr. 
Lincoln  said  he  would  look  the  case  over,  and  asked  her  to 
call  again  the  next  day.  Upon  presenting  herself,  Mr. 
Lincoln  told  her  that  he  had  gone  through  the  papers  very 
carefully,  and  he  must  tell  her  frankly  that  there  was  not  a 
"  peg  "  to  hang  her  claim  upon,  and  he  could  not  con- 
scientiously advise  her  to  bring  an  action.  The  lady  was 
satisfied,  and,  thanking  him,  rose  to  go. 

"Wait,". said  Mr.  Lincoln,  fumbling  in  his  vest  pocket; 
"  here  is  the  check  you  left  with  me." 

"But,  Mr.  Lincoln,"  returned  the  lady,  "I  think  you 
have  earned  that." 

"  ISTo,  no,"  he  responded,  handing  it  back  to  her;  "that 
would  not  be  right.     I  can't  take  pay  for  doing  my  duty." 


Attention   Shown  to    Relatives  —  Lincoln   and   "His    Sisters   and 
His  Cousins  and   His   Aunts." 

One  of  the  most  beautiful  traits  of  Mr.  Lincoln  was  his 
considerate  regard  for  the  poor  and  obscure  relatives  he  had 
left,  plodding  along  in  their  humble  ways  of  life.  Wherever 
upon  his  circuit  he  found  them,  he  always  went  to  their 
dwellings,  ate  with  them,  and,  when  convenient,  made  their 
houses  his  home.  He  never  assumed  in  their  presence  the 
slightest  superiority  to  them,  in  the  facts  and  conditions  of 
his  life.  He  gave  them  money  when  they  needed  and  he 
possessed  it.  Countless  times  he  was  known  to  leave  his 
companions  at  the  village  hotel,  after  a  hard  day's  work  in 
the  court   room,  and  spend  the  evening  with  these  old 


68  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

friends  and  companions  of  his  humbler  days.  On  one 
occasion,  when  urged  not  to  go,  he  replied,  "  Why,  aunt's 
heart  would  be  broken  if  I  should  leave  town  without  call- 
ing upon  her;"  yet  he  was  obliged  to  walk  several  miles  to 
make  the  call. 


How  Lincoln  Kept  His  Business   Accounts — His  Remarkable 

Honesty. 

A  little  fact  in  Lincoln's  Work  will  illustrate  his  ever 
present  desire  to  deal  honestly  and  justly  with  men.  He 
had  always  a  partner  in  his  professional  life,  and,  when  he 
went  out  upon  the  circuit,  this  partner  was  usually  at  home. 
While  out,  he  frequently  took  up  and  disposed  of  cases  that 
were  never  entered  at  the  office.  In  these  cases,  after 
receiving  his  fees,  he  divided  the  money  in  his  pocket-book, 
labeling  each  sum  (wrapped  in  a  piece  of  paper),  that 
belonged  to  his  partner,  stating  his  name,  and  the  case  on 
which  it  was  received.  He  could  not  be  content  to  keep 
an  account.  He  divided  the  money,  so  that  if  he.  by  any 
casualty,  should  fail  of  an  opportunity  to  pay  it  over,  there 
could  be  no  dispute  as  to  the  exact  amount  that  was  his 
partner's  due.  This  may  seem  trivial,  nay,  boyish,  but  it 
was  like  Mr.  Lincoln. 


Lincoln  in  Court. 

Senator  McDonald  states  that  he  saw  a  jury  trial  in 
Illinois,  at  which  Lincoln  defended  an  old  man  charged 
with  assault  and  battery.  No  blood  had  been  spilled,  but 
there  was  malice  in  the  prosecution,  and  the  chief  witness 
was  eager  to  make  the  most  of  it.  On  cross-examination, 
Lincoln  gave  him  rope  and  drew  him  out;  asked  him  how 
long  the  fight  lasted,  and  how  much  ground  it  covered. 


PROFESSIONAL  LIFE.  69 

The  witness  thought  the  fight  must  have  lasted  half  an 
hour,  and  covered  an  acre  of  ground.  Lincoln  called  his 
attention  to  the  fact  that  nobody  was  hurt,  and  then,  with 
an  inimitable  air,  asked  him  if  he  didn't  think  it  was  "a 
mighty  small  crop  for  an  acre  of  ground."  The  jury 
rejected  the  case  with  contempt  as  beneath  the  dignity  of 
twelve  brave,  good  men  and  true. 

In  another  cause  the  son  of  his  old  friend,  who  had  em- 
ployed him  and  loaned  him  books,  was  charged  with  a 
murder  committed  in  a  riot  at  a  camp-meeting.  Lincoln 
volunteered  for  the  defense.  A  witness  swore  that  he  saw 
the  prisoner  strike  the  fatal  blow.  It  was  night,  but  he 
swore  that  the  full  moon  was  shining  clear,  and  he  saw 
everything  distinctly.  The  case  seemed  hopeless,  but  Lin- 
coln produced  an  almanac,  and  showed  that  at  the  hour 
there  was  no  moon.  Then  he  depicted  the  crime  of  per- 
jury with  such  eloquence  that  the  false  witness  fled  the 
Court  House.  One  who  heard  the  trial  says:  "  It  was 
near  night  when  he  concluded,  saying:  '  If  justice  was 
done,  before  the  sun  set  it  would  shine  upon  his  client  a 
free  man.' " 

The  Court  charged  the  jury;  they  retired,  and  presently 
returned  a  verdict — "  Not  guilty."  The  prisoner  fell  into 
his  weeping  mother's  arms,  and  then  turned  to  thank  Mr. 
Lincoln,  who,  looking  out  at  the  sun,  said:  "  It  is  not  yet 
sundown,  and  you  are  free." 


One  of  Lincoln's   "Hardest   Hits." 

In  Abbott's  "  History  of  the  Civil  War,"  the  following 
story  is  told  as  one  of  Lincoln's  "hardest  hits:"  "I  once 
knew,"  said  Lincoln,  "  a  sound  churchman  by  the  name  of 
Brown,  who  was  a  member  of  a  very  sober  and  pious  com- 
mittee having  in  charge  the  erection  of  a  bridge  over  a 


70  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

dangerous  and  rapid  river.  Several  architects  failed,  and  at 
last  Brown  said  he  had  a  friend  named  Jones,  who  had 
built  several  bridges  and  undoubtedly  could  build  that  one. 
So  Mr.  Jones  was  called  in. 

"  '  Can  you  build  this  bridge?'  inquired  the  committee. 

"  '  Yes,'  replied  Jones,  '  or  any  other.  I  could  build  a 
bridge  to  the  infernal  regions,  if  necessary  !' 

The  committee  were  shocked,  and  Brown  felt  called  upon 
to  defend  his  friend.  1 1  know  Jones  so  well,'  said  he,  '  and 
he  is  so  honest  a  man  and  so  good  an  architect,  that  if  he 
states  soberly  and  positively  that  he  can  build  a  bridge  to — 

to ,  why,  I  believe  it;  but  I  feel  bound  to  say  that  I 

have  my  doubts  about  the  abutment  on  the  infernal  side.' 

"  So,''  said  Mr.  Lincoln,  "  when  politicians  told  me  that 
the  northern  and  southern  wings  of  the  Democracy  could 
be  harmonized,  why,  I  believed  them,  of  course;  but  I 
always  had  my  doubts  about  the  '  abutment '  on  the  other 
side." 


An  Incident  Connected  with  Lincoln's  Nomination — A  Good 

Temperance  Man. 

Immediately  after  Mr.  Lincoln's  nomination  for  Presi- 
dent at  the  Chicago  Convention,  a  committee,  of  which 
Governor  Morgan,  of  New  York,  was  Chairman,  visited 
him  in  Springfield,  111.,  where  he  was  officially  informed 
of  his  nomination. 

After  this  ceremony  had  passed,  Mr.  Lincoln  remarked 
to  the  company,  that  as  an  appropriate  conclusion  to  an 
interview  so  important  and  interesting  as  that  which  had 
just  transpired,  he  supposed  good  manners  would  require 
that  he  should  treat  the  committee  with  something  to 
drink  ;  and  opening  a  door  that  led  into  a  room  in  the 
rear,  he  called  out  "  Mary  !   Mary  !  "     A  girl  responded  to 


PROFESSIONAL  LIFE.  11 

the  call,  to  whom  Mr.  Lincoln  spoke  a  few  words  in  an 
under-tone,  and,  closing  the  door,  returned  again  to  converse 
with  his  guests.  In  a  few  minutes  the  maiden  entered, 
bearing  a  large  waiter,  containing  several  glass  tumblers, 
and  a  large  pitcher  in  the  midst,  and  placed  it  upon  the 
centre-table.  Mr.  Lincoln  arose,  and  gravely  addressing 
the  company,  said  :  "  Gentlemen,  we  must  pledge  our  mu- 
tual healths  in  the  most  healthy  beverage  which  God  has 
given  to  man — it  is  the  only  beverage  I  have  ever  used  or 
allowed  in  my  family,  and  I  can  not  conscientiously  depart 
from  it  on  the  present  occasion — it  is  pure  Adam's  ale  from 
the  spring  ; "  and,  taking  a  tumbler,  he  touched  it  to  his 
lips,  and  pledged  them  his  highest  respects  in  a  cup  of 
cold  water.  Of  course,  all  his  guests  were  constrained  to 
admire  his  consistency,  and  to  join  in  his  example. 


Gen.  Linder's  Account  of  the  Lincoln-Shields  Duel — Why  Lincoln 
Chose  Broadswords  as  Weapons. 

When  the  famous  challenge  was  sent  by  General  Shields 
to  Mr.  Lincoln,  it  was  at  once  accepted,  and  by  the  advice 
of  his  especial  friend  and  second,  Dr.  Merriman,  he  chose 
broadswords  as  the  weapons  with  which  to  fight.  Dr. 
Merriman  being  a  splendid  swordsman  trained  him  in  the 
use  of  that  instrument,  which  made  it  almost  certain  that 
Shields  would  be  killed  or  discomfited,  for  he  was  a  small, 
short-armed  man,  while  Lincoln  was  a  tall,  sinewy,  long- 
armed  man,  and  as  stout  as  Hercules. 

They  went  to  Alton,  and  were  to  fi^ht  on  the  neck  of 
land  between  the  Missouri  and  Mississippi  Rivers,  near  their 
confluence.  John  J.  Hardin,  hearing  of  the  contemplated 
duel,  determined  to  prevent  it,  and  hastened  to  Alton,  with 
all  imaginable  celerity,  where  he  fell  in  with  the  belligerent 


72  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

parties,  and  aided  by  some  other  friends  of  both  Lincoln 
and  Shields,  succeeded  in  effecting  a  reconciliation. 

After  this  affair  between  Lincoln  and  Shields,  I  met  Lin- 
coln at  the  Danville  court,  and  in  a  walk  we  took  together, 
seeing  him  make  passes  with  a  stick,  such  as  are  made  in 
the  broadsword  exercise,  I  was  induced  to  ask  him  why  he 
had  selected  that  weapon  with  which  to  fight  Shields.  He 
promptly  answered  in  that  sharp,  ear-splitting  voice  of  his: 

"  To  tell  you  the  truth,  Linder,  I  did  not  want  to  kill  Shields, 
and  felt  sure  I  could  disarm  him,  having- had  about  a  month 
to  learn  the  broadsword  exercise;  and  furthermore,  I  didn't 
want  the  darned  fellow  to  kill  me,  which  I  rather  think  he 
would  have  done  if  we  had  selected  pistols." 


Lincoln's  Gratitude — He  Volunteers  to  Defend  the  Son  of  an  Old 
Friend  Indicted  for  Murder — How  He  Was  Acquitted. 

Jack  Armstrong,  the  leader  of  the  "  Clary  Grove  Boys," 
with  whom  Lincoln  in  earlv  life  had  a  scuffle  which  "Jack  " 
agreed  to  call  "  a  drawn  battle,"  in  consequence  of  his  own 
foul  play,  afterwards  became  a  life-long,  warm  friend  of 
Mr.  Lincoln.  Later  in  life  the  rising  lawyer  would  stop  at 
Jack's  cabin  home,  and  here  Mrs.  Armstrong,  a  most 
womanly  person,  learned  to  respect  Mr.  Lincoln.  There 
was  no  service  to  which  she  did  not  make  her  guest  abund- 
antly  welcome,  and  he  never  ceased  to  feel  the  tenderest 
gratitude  for  her  kindness. 

At  length  her  husband  died,  and  she  became  dependent 
upon  her  sons.  The  oldest  of  these,  while  in  attendance 
upon  a  camp-meeting,  found  himself  involved  in  a  melee, 
which  resulted  in  the  death  of  a  young  man,  and  young 
Armstrong  was  charged  by  one  of  his  associates  with  strik- 
ing the  fatal  blow.  He  was  arrested,  examined,  and  im- 
prisoned to  await  his  trial.     The  rmK'ic  mind  was  in  a 


PROFESSIONAL  LIFE.  73 

blaze  of  excitement,  and  interested  parties  fed  the  flame. 
Mr.  Lincoln  knew  nothing  of  the  merits  of  this  case,  that  is 
certain.  He  only  knew  that  his  old  friend  Mrs.  Armstrong 
was  in  sore  trouble;  and  he  sat  down  at  once,  and  volun- 
teered by  letter  to  defend  her  son.  His  first  act  was  to 
procure  the  postponement  and  a  change  of  the  place  of 
the  trial.  There  was  too  much  fever  in  the  minds  of  the 
immediate  public  to  permit  of  fair  treatment.  When  the 
trial  came  on,  the  case  looked  very  hopeless  to  all  but  Mr. 
Lincoln,  who  had  assured  himself  that  the  young  man  was 
not  guilty.  The  evidence  on  behalf  of  the  state  being  all 
in,  and  looking  like  a  solid  and  consistent  mass  of  testi- 
mony against  the  prisoner,  Mr.  Lincoln  undertook  the  task 
of  analyzing  and  destroying  it,  which  he  did  in  a  manner 
that  surprised  every  one.  The  principal  witness  testified 
that  "  by  the  aid  of  the  brightly  shining  moon,  he  saw  the 
prisoner  inflict  the  death  blow  with  a  slung  shot."  Mr. 
Lincoln  proved  by  the  almanac  that  there  was  no  moon 
shining  at  the  time.  The  mass  of  testimony  against  the 
prisoner  melted  away,  until  "  not  guilty "  was  the  verdict 
of  every  man  present  in  the  crowded  court-room.  There 
is,  of  course,  no  record  of  the  plea  made  on  this  occasion, 
but  it  is  remembered  as  one  in  which  Mr.  Lincoln  made 
an  appeal  to  the  sympathies  of  the  jury,  which  quite  sur- 
passed his  usual  efforts  of  the  kind,  and  melted  all  to  tears. 
The  jury  were  out  but  half  an  hour,  when  they  returned 
with  their  verdict  of  k'not  guilty."  The  widow  fainted  in 
the  arms  of  her  son,  who  divided  his  attention  between  his 
services  to  her  and  his  thanks  to  his  deliverer.  And  thus 
the  kind  woman  who  cared  for  the  poor  young  man,  and 
showed  herself  a  mother  to  him  in  his  need,  received  the 
life  of  a  son,  saved  from  a  cruel  conspiracy,  as  her  reward, 
from  the  hand  of  her  grateful  beneficiary. 


U  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

An  Honest  Lawyer  —  Some  of  Lincoln's  "Oases"  and  How 

He  Treated  Them. 

A  sheep-grower  on  a  certain  occasion  sold  a  number  of 
sheep  at  a  stipulated  average  price.  When  he  delivered 
the  animals,  he  delivered  many  lambs,  or  sheep  too  young 
to  come  fairly  within'  the  terms  of  the  contract.  He  was 
sued  for  damages  by  the  injured  party,  and  Mr.  Lincoln 
was  his  attorney.  At  the  trial,  the  facts  as  to  the  character 
of  the  sheep  delivered  were  proved,  and  several  witnesses 
testified  as  to  the  usuage  by  which  all  under  a  certain  age 
were  regarded  as  lambs,  and  of  inferior  value.  Mr.  Lincoln, 
on  comprehending  the  facts,  at  once  changed  his  line  of 
effort,  and  confined  himself  to  ascertaining  the  real  number 
of  inferior  sheep  delivered.  On  addressing  the  jury,  he  said 
that  from  the  facts  proved,  they  must  give  a  verdict  against 
his  client,  and  he  only  asked  their  scrutiny  as  to  the  actual 
damage  suffered. 

In  another  case,  Mr.  Lincoln  was  conducting  a  suit 
against  a  railroad  company.  Judgment  having  been  given 
in  his  favor,  and  the  court  being  about  to  allow  the  amount 
claimed  by  him,  deducting  a  proved  and  allowed  offset,  he 
rose  and  stated  that  his  opponents  had  not  proved  all  that 
was  justly  due  them  in  offset;  and  proceeded  to  state  and 
allow  a  further  sum  against  his  client,  which  the  court 
allowed  in  its  judgment.  His  desire  for  the  establishment 
of  exact  justice  overcame  his  own  selfish  love  of  victory, 
as  well  as  his  partiality  for  his  clients'  feelings  and  interests. 


Lincoln's  Pungent  Retort. 
A  little  incident  occurred  during  a  political  campaign 
that  illustrated  Mr.  Lincoln's  readiness  in  turning  a  polit- 
ical point.     He  was  making  a  speech  at  Charleston,  Coles 
County,  Illinois,  when  a  voice  called  out,  "  Mr.  Lincoln,  is 


PROFESSIONAL  LIFE.  75 

it  true  that  you  entered  this  state  barefoot,  driving  a  yoke 
of  oxen?"  Mr.  Lincoln  paused  for  full  half  a  minute,  as  if 
considering  whether  he  should  notice  such  cruel  impertin- 
ence, and  then  said  that  he  thought  he  could  prove  the  fact 
by  at  least  a  dozen  men  in  the  crowd,  any  one  of  whom  was 
more  respectable  than  his  questioner.  But  the  question 
seemed  to  inspire  him,  and  he  went  on  to  show  what  free 
institutions  had  done  for  himself,  and  to  exhibit  the  evils 
of  slavery  to  the  white  man  wherever  it  existed,  and  asked 
if  it  was  not  natural  that  he  should  hate  slavery  and  agitate 
against  it.  "  Yes,"  said  he,  "  we  will  speak  for  freedom 
and  against  slavery,  as  long  as  the  Constitution  of  our 
country  guarantees  free  speech,  until  everywhere  on  this 
wide  land  the  sun  shall  shine,  and  the  rain  shall  fall,  and 
the  wind  shall  blow  upon  no  man  who  goes  forth  to  unre- 
quited toil." 


A  Revolutionary  Pensioner  Defended  by  Lincoln — An  Interesting 

Incident. 

An  old  woman  of  seventy-five  years,  the  widow  of  a  rev- 
olutionary pensioner,  came  tottering  into  his  law  office  one 
day,  and,  taking  a  seat,  told  him  that  a  certain  pension 
agent  had  charged  her  the  exorbitant  fee  of  two  hundred 
dollars  for  collecting  her  claim.  Mr.  Lincoln  was  satisfied 
by  her  representations  that  she  had  been  swindled,  and  find- 
ing that  she  was  not  a  resident  of  the  town,  and  that  she 
was  poor,  gave  her  money,  and  set  about  the  work  of  pro- 
curing restitution.  lie  immediately  entered  suit  against 
the  agent  to  recover  a  portion  of  his  ill-gotten  money. 
The  suit  was  entirely  successful,  and  Mr.  Lincoln's  address 
to  the  jury  before  which  the  case  was  tried  is  remembered 
to  have  been  peculiarly  touching  in  its  allusions  to  the 
poverty  of  the  widow,  and  the  patriotism  of  the  husband 


76  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

she  had  sacrificed  to  secure  the  nation's  independence.  He 
had  the  gratification  of  paying  back  to  her  a  hundred  dol- 
lars, and  sending  her  home  rejoicing. 


A  Thrilling  Story — Lincoln  Threatens  a  Twenty  Years'  Agitation 

in  Illinois. 

One  afternoon  an  old  negro  woman  came  into  the  office 
of  Lincoln  &  Herndon,  in  Springfield,  and  told  the  story 
of  her  trouble,  to  which  both  lawyers  listened.  It  appeared 
that  she  and  her  offspring  were  born  slaves  in  Kentucky, 
and  that  her  owner,  one  Hinkle,  had  brought  the  whole 
family  into  Illinois,  and  given  them  their  freedom.  Her 
son  had  gone  down  the  Mississippi  as  a  waiter  or  deck 
hand,  on  a  steamboat.  Arriving  at  New  Orleans,  he  had 
imprudently  gone  ashore,  and  had  been  snatched  up  by  the 
police,  in  accordance  with  the  law  then  in  force  concerning 
free  negroes  from  other  states,  and  thrown  into  confine- 
ment. Subsequently,  he  was  brought  out  and  tried.  Of 
course  he  was  fined,  and,  the  boat  having  left,  he  was  sold, 
or  was  in  immediate  danger  of  being  sold,  to  pay  his  fine 
and  the  expenses.  Mr.  Lincoln  was  very  much  moved,  and 
requested  Mr.  Herndon  to  go  over  to  the  State  House,  and 
inquire  of  Governor  Bissell  if  there  was  not  something  he 
could  do  to  obtain  possession  of  the  negro.  Mr.  Herndon 
made  the  inquiry,  and  returned  with  the  report  that  the 
Governor  regretted  to  say  that  he  had  no  legal  or  constitu- 
tional right  to  do  anything  in  the  premises.  Mr.  Lincoln 
rose  to  his  feet  in  great  excitement,  and  exclaimed,  "  By 
the  Almighty,  I'll  have  that  negro  back  soon,  or  I'll  have  a 
twenty  years'  agitation  in  Illinois,  until  the  Governor  does 
have  a  legal  and  constitutional  right  to  do  something  in  the 
premises."  He  was  saved  from  the  latter  alternative — at 
least  in  the  direct  form  which  he  proposed.     The  lawyers 


PROFESSIONAL  LIFE  77 

cent  money  to  a  New  Orleans  correspondent — money  of 
their  own — who  procured  the  negro,  and  returned  him  to 
his  mother. 


Lincoln  as  a  Story  Teller — How  he  always  Turned  the  Story  to 
his  advantage — A  Practical  Example. 

One  of  his  modes  of  getting  rid  of  troublesome  friends, 
as  well  as  troublesome  enemies,  was  by  telling  a  story.  He 
began  these  tactics  early  in  life,  and  he  grew  to  be  wonder- 
fully adept  in  them.  If  a  man  broached  a  subject  which 
he  did  not  wish  to  discuss,  he  told  a  story  which  changed 
the  direction  of  the  conversation.  If  he  was  called  upon 
to  answer  a  question,  he  answered  it  by  telling  a  story. 
He  had  a  story  for  everything — something  had  occurred  at 
some  place  where  he  used  to  live,  that  illustrated  every  pos- 
sible phase  of  every  possible  subject  with  which  he  might 
have  connection.  His  faculty  of  rinding  or  making  a  story 
to  match  every  event  in  his  history,  and  every  event  to 
which  he  bore  any  relation,  was  really  marvelous. 

That  he  made,  or  adapted,  some  of  his  stories,  there  is 
no  question.  It  is  beyond  belief  that  those  which  entered 
his  mind  left  it  no  richer  than  they  came.  It  is  not  to  be 
supposed  that  he  spent  any  time  in  elaborating  them,  but 
by  some  law  of  association  every  event  that  occurred  sug- 
gested some  story,  and,  almost  by  an  involuntary  process, 
his  mind  harmonized  their  discordant  points,  and  the  story 
was  pronounced  "  pat,"  because  it  was  made  so  before  it 
was  uttered.  Every  truth,  or  combination  of  truths, 
seemed  immediately  to  clothe  itself  in  a  form  of  life,  where 
he  kept  it  for  reference.  His  mind  was  full  of  stories;  and 
the  great  facts  of  his  life  and  history  on  entering  his  mind 
seemed  to  take  up  their  abode  in  these  stories,  and  if  the 
garment  did  not  fit  them  it  was  so  modified  that  it  did. 


78  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

A  good  instance  of  the  execution  which  he  sometimes 
effected  with  a  story,  occurred  in  the  legislature.  There 
was  a  troublesome  member  from  Wabash  County,  who 
gloried  particularly  in  being  a  "  strict  constructionist."  He 
found  something  "  unconstitutional  "  in  every  measure  that 
was  brought  forward  for  discussion.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Judiciary  Committee,  and  was  very  apt,  after  giving 
every  measure  a  heavy  pounding,  to  advocate  its  reference 
to  this  committee.  K"o  amount  of  sober  argument  could 
floor  the  member  from  Wabash.  At  last  he  came  to  be 
considered  a  man  to  be  silenced,  and  Mr.  Lincoln  was 
resorted  to  for  an  expedient  by  which  this  object  might  be 
accomplished.  He  soon  afterwards  honored  the  draft  thus 
made  upon  him. 

A  measure  was  brought  forward  in  which  Mr.  Lincoln's 
constituents  were  interested,  when  the  member  from 
Wabash  rose  and  discharged  all  his  batteries  upon  its  un- 
constitutional points.  Mr.  Lincoln  then  took  the  floor, 
and,  with  the  quizzical  expression  of  features  which  he 
could  assume  at  will,  and  a  mirthful  twinkle  in  his  gray  eyes, 
said:  "Mr.  Speaker,  the  attack  of  the  member  from  Wa- 
bash on  the  constitutionality  of  this  measure,  reminds  me 
of  an  old  friend  of  mine.  He's  a  peculiar  looking  old  fel- 
low, witb  shaggy,  overhanging  eyebrows,  and  a  pair  of 
spectacles  under  them.  (Everybody  turned  to  the  member 
from  Wabash,  and  recognized  a  personal  description.) 
One  morning  just  after  the  old  man  got  up,  he  imagined, 
on  looking  out  of  his  door,  that  he  saw  rather  a  lively  squir- 
rel on  a  tree  near  his  house.  So  he  took  down  his  rifle  and 
tired  at  the  squirrel,  but  the  squirrel  paid  no  attention  to 
the  shot.  He  loaded  and  fired  again,  and  again,  until,  at 
the  thirteenth  shot,  he  set  down  his  gun  impatiently,  and 
said  to  his  boy,  who  was  looking  on: 

Boy,  there's  something  wrong  about  this  rifle.' 


u    i 


PROFESSIONAL  LIFE.  79 

" '  Rifle's  all  right,  I  know  'tis,'  responded  the  boy,  '  but 
where's  your  squirrel?' 

" '  Don't  you  see  him,  humped  up  about  half  way  up  tne 
tree?'  inquired  the  old  man,  peering  over  his  spectacles, 
and  getting  mystified. 

"'No,  I  don't,'  responded  the  boy;  and  then  turning 
and  looking  into  his  father's  face,  he  exclaimed,  '  I  see  your 
squirrel!    You  've  been  firing  at  a  louse  on  your  eyebrow! '  " 

The  story  needed  neither  application  nor  explanation. 
The  House  was  in  convulsions  of  laughter;  for  Mr.  Lin- 
coln's skill  in  telling  a  story  was  not  inferior  to  his  appre- 
ciation of  its  points  and  his  power  of  adapting  them  to  the 
case  in  hand.  It  killed  off  the  member  from  Wabash,  who 
was  very  careful  afterwards  not  to  provoke  aliy  allusion  to 
his  "  eyebrows." 


Hon.   Newtcn  Bateman's   Thrilling  Story   of  Mr.   Lincoln — The 

Great  Man  Looking  to  See  How  the  Springfield  Preachers 

Voted — His   Surprise,   and  What  Lincoln  Said 

About  It. 

At  the  time  of  the  Lincoln  nomination,  at  Chicago,  Mr. 
Newton  Bateman,  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction 
for  the  State  of  Illinois,  occupied  a  room  adjoining  and 
opening  into  the  Executive  Chamber  at  Springfield.  Fre- 
quently this  door  was  open  during  Mr.  Lincoln's  receptions, 
and  throughout  the  seven  months  or  more  of  his  occupa- 
tion, he  saw  him  nearly  every  day.  Often  when  Mr.  Lin- 
coln was  tired,  he  closed  the  door  against  all  intruders,  and 
called  Mr.  Bateman  into  his  room  for  a  quiet  talk.  On 
one  of  these  occasions,  Mr.  Lincoln  took  up  a  book  contain- 
ing a  careful  canvass  of  the  city  of  Springfield,  in  which 
he  lived,  showing  the  candidate  for  whom  each  citizen  had 
declared  it  his  intention  to  vote  in  the  approaching  election. 
Mr.  Lincoln's  friends  had,  doubtless  at  his  <>wn  request, 


80  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

placed  the  result  of  the  canvass  in  his  hands.  This  was 
towards  the  close  of  October,  and  only  a  few  days  before 
election.  Calling  Mr.  Bateman  to  a  seat  by  his  side,  hav- 
ing previously  locked  all  the  doors,  he  said  :  '  Let  us  look 
over  this  book;  I  wish  particularly  to  see  how  the  ministers 
of  Springfield  are  going  to  vote.'  The  leaves  were  turned, 
one  by  one,  and  as  the  names  were  examined  Mr.  Lincoln 
frequently  asked  if  this  one  and  that  were  not  a  minister, 
or  an  elder,  or  a  member  of  such  or  such  church,  and  sadly 
expressed  his  surprise  on  receiving  an  affirmative  answer. 
In  that  manner  they  went  through  the  book,  and  then  he 
closed  it  and  sat  silently  for  some  minutes  regarding  a 
memorandum  in  pencil  which  lay  before  him.  At  length 
he  turned  to  Mr.  Bateman,  with  a  face  full  of  sadness,  and 
said  :  '  Here  are  twenty-three  ministers,  of  different 
denominations,  and  all  of  them  are  against  me  but  three, 
and  here  are  a  great  many  prominent  members  of  the 
churches,  a  very  large  majority  are  against  me.  Mr.  Bate- 
man, I  am  not  a  Christian, — God  knows  I  would  be  one. — 
but  I  have  carefully  read  the  Bible,  and  I  do  not  so  under- 
stand this  book; '  and  he  drew  forth  a  pocket  New  Testa- 
ment. '  These  men  well  know,'  he  continued,  '  that  I  am 
for  freedom  in  the  Territories,  freedom  everywhere  as  free 
as  the  Constitution  and  the  laws  will  permit,  and  that  my 
opponents  are  for  slavery.  They  know  this,  and  yet,  with 
this  book  in  their  hands,  in  the  light  of  which  human  bond- 
age can  not  live  a  moment,  they  are  going  to  vote  against 
me;  I  do  not  understand  it  at  all.' 

"  Here  Mr.  Lincoln  paused — paused  for  long  minutes — 
his  features  surcharged  with  emotion.  Then  he  rose  and 
walked  up  and  down  the  reception-room  in  the  effort  to 
retain  or  regain  his  self-possession.  Stopping  at  last,  he 
said,  with  a  trembling  voice  and  cheeks  wet  with  tears:  'I 
know    there   is   a   God,  and  that   he  hates  injustice  and 


PROFESSIONAL  LIFE.  81 

slavery.  I  see  the  storm  coming,  and  I  know  that  His  hand 
is  in  it.  If  He  has  a  place  and  work  for  me,  and  I  think 
He  has,  I  believe  I  am  ready.  I  am  nothing,  but  Truth  is 
everything.  I  know  I  am  right,  because  I  know  that 
liberty  is  right,  for  Christ  teaches  it,  and  Christ  is  God.  I 
have  told  them  that  a  house  divided  against  itself  can  not 
stand;  and  Christ  and  Eeason  say  the  same;  and  they  will 
find  it  so.' 

"'Douglas  don't  care  whether  slavery  is  voted  up  or 
down,  but  God  cares,  and  humanity  cares,  and  I  care;  and 
with  God's  help  I  shall  not  fail.  I  may  not  see  the  end; 
but  it  will  come,  and  I  shall  be  vindicated;  and  these  men 
will  find  that  they  have  not  read  their  Bible  right.' 

"  Much  of  this  was  uttered  as  if  he  was  speaking  to  him- 
self,  and  with  a  sad,  earnest  solemnity  of  manner  impossi- 
ble to  be  described.  After  a  pause,  he  resumed:  'Doesn't  it 
appear  strange  that  men  can  ignore  the  moral  aspect  of 
this  contest?  A  revelation  could  not  make  it  plainer  to 
me  that  slavery  or  the  Government  must  be  destroyed. 
The  future  would  be  something  awful,  as  I  look  at  it,  but 
for  this  rock  on  which  I  stand,'  (alluding  to  the  Testament 
which  he  still  held  in  his  hand,) '  especially  with  the  knowl- 
edge of  how  these  ministers  are  going  to  vote.  It  seems 
as  if  God  had  borne  with  this  thing  (slavery)  until  the  very 
teachers  of  religion  had  come  to  defend  it  from  the  Bible, 
and  to  claim  for  it  a  divine  character  and  sanction ;  and 
now  the  cup  of  iniquity  is  full,  and  the  vials  of  wrath  will 
be  poured  out.'  After  this  the  conversation  was  continued 
for  a  long  time.  Everything  he  said  was  of  a  peculiarly 
deep,  tender,  and  religious  tone,  and  all  was  tinged  with  a 
touching  melancholy.  He  repeatedly  referred  to  his  con- 
viction that  the  day  of  wrath  was  at  hand,  and  that  he  was 
to  be  an  actor  in  the  terrible  struggle  which  would  issue  in  the 
overthrow  of  slavery,  though  he  might  not  l;ve  tc  see  the  end. 


82  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

"After  further  reference  to  a  belief  in  Divine  Providence 
and  the  fact  of  God  in  history,  the  conversation  turned  upon 
prayer.  He  freely  stated  his  belief  in  the  duty,  privilege, 
and  efficacy  of  prayer,  and  intimated,  in  no  unmistakable 
terms,  that  he  had  sought  in  that  way  the  Divine  guidance 
and  favor.  The  effect  of  this  conversation  upon  the  mind 
of  Mr.  Bateman,  a  Christian  gentleman  whom  Mr.  Lincoln 
profoundly  respected,  was  to  convince  him  that  Mr.  Lincoln 
had,  in  his  quiet  way,  found  a  path  to  the  Christian  stand- 
point —  that  he  had  found  God,  and  rested  on  the  eternal 
truth  of  God.  As  the  two  men  were  about  to  separate,  Mr. 
Bateman  remarked  :  '  I  have  not  supposed  that  you  were 
accustomed  to  think  so  much  upon  this  class  of  subjects ; 
certainly  your  friends  generally  are  ignorant  of  the  senti- 
ments you  have  expressed  to  me.'  He  replied  quickly  :  '  I 
know  they  are,  but  I  think  more  on  these  subjects  than 
upon  all  others,  and  I  have  done  so  for  years;  and  I  am 
willing  you  should  know  it.'  " 


"When  his  clients  had  practiced  gross  deception  upon  him, 
Mr.  Lincoln  forsook  their  cases  in  mid-passage;  and  he  al- 
ways refused  to  accept  fees  of  those  whom  he  advised  not 
to  prosecute.  On  one  occasion,  while  engaged  upon  an 
important  case,  he  discovered  that  he  was  on  the  wrong 
side.  His  associate  in  the  case  was  immediately  informed 
that  he  (Lincoln)  would  not  make  the  plea.  The  associate 
made  it,  and  the  case,  much  to  the  surprise  of  Lincoln,  was 
decided  for  his  client.  Perfectly  convinced  that  his  client 
was  wrong,  he  would  not  receive  one  cent  of  the  fee  of 
nine  hundred  dollars  which  he  paid.  It  is  not  wonderful 
that  one  who  knew  him  well  spoke  of  him  as  "  perversely 
honest." 


I  US  IT  ED  ST  ATM  CAPITOL.] 


WBZV-VJR&UB*1  TWC1 VENT8.  85 


WHITE-HOUSE    INCIDENTS. 


Trying  the  "  Greens  "  on  Jake — A  Serious  Experiment. 

A  deputation  of  bankers  were  «ne  day  introduced  to 
the  President  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury.     One  of 

the  party,  Mr.  P of  Chelsea,  Mass.,  took  occasion  to 

refer  to  the  severity  of  the  tax  laid  by  Congress  upon  the 
State  Banks. 

"  Now,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln,  "  that  reminds  me  of  a  cir- 
cumstance that  took  place  in  a  neighborhood  where  I  lived 
when  I  was  a  boy.  In  the  spring  of  the  year  the  farmers 
were  very  fond  of  the  dish  which  they  called  greens, 
though  the  fashionable  name  for  it  now-a-days  is  spinach, 
1  believe.  One  day  after  dinner,  a  large  family  were  taken 
very  ill.  The  doctor  was  called  in,  who  attributed  it  to  the 
greens,  of  which  all  had  freely  partaken.  Living  in  the 
family  was  a  half-witted  boy  named  Jake.  On  a  subse- 
quent occasion,  when  greens  had  been  gathered  for  dinner, 
the  head  of  the  house  said  :  '  Now,  boys,  before  running 
any  further  risk  in  this  thing,  we  will  first  try  them  on 
Jake.  If  he  stands  it,  we  are  all  right.'  And  just  so,  I 
suppose,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln,  "  Congress  thought  it  would 
try  this  tax  on  the  State  Banks  !  " 


A  Little  Story  which  Lincoln  told  the  Preachers. 

A  year  or  more  before  Mr.  Lincoln's  death,  a  delegation 
of  clergymen  waited  upon  him  in  reference  to  the  appoint- 
ment of  the  army  chaplains.  The  delegation  consisted  of 
a  Presbyterian,  a  Baptist,  and   an   Episcopal   clergyman. 


86  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

They  stated  that  the  character  of  many  of  the  chaplains 
was  notoriously  bad,  and  they  had  come  to  urge  upon  the 
President  the  necessity  of  more  discretion  in  these  ap- 
pointments. 

"  But,  gentlemen,"  said  the  President,  "  that  is  a  matter 
which  the  Government  has  nothing  to  do  with;  the  chap- 
lains are  chosen  by  the  regiments." 

Not  satisfied  with  this,  the  clergymen  pressed,  in  turn,  a 
change  in  the  system.  Mr.  Lincoln  heard  them  through 
without  remark,  and  then  said,  "  Without  any  disrespect, 
gentlemen,  I  will  tell  you  a  '  little  story.' 

"  Once,  in  Springfield,  I  was  going  off  on  a  short  jour- 
ney, and  reached  the  depot  a  little  ahead  of  time.  Leaning 
against  the  fence  just  outside  the  depot  was  a  little  darkey 
boy,  whom  I  knew,  named  '  Dick,'  busily  digging  with  his 
toe  in  a  mud-puddle.  As  I  came  up,  I  said,  '  Dick,  what 
are  you  about  ?' 

"  '  Making  a  church,''  said  he. 

"  '  A  church  ? '   said  I  ;  '  what  do  you  mean  ? ' 

"'Why,  yes,'  said  Dick,  pointing  with  his  toe,  'don't 
you  see  ?  there  is  the  shape  of  it  ;  there's  the  steps  and 
front-door — here  the  pews,  where  the  folks  set — and  there  's 
the  pulpit.' 

"  '  Yes,  I  see,'  said  I,  '  but  why  don't  you  make  a 
minister  ? ' 

"  '  Laws,'  answered  Dick,  with  a  grin,  '  I  hain't  got  mud 
enough  ! '  " 


'  How  Lincoln  Stood  up  for  the  Word  "  Sugar-Coated." 

Mr.  Defrees,  the  government  printer,  states,  that,  when 
one  of  the  President's  messages  was  being  printed,  he  was 
a  good  deal  disturbed  by  the  use  of  the  term  "  sugar- 
coated,"  and  finally  went  to  Mr.  Lincoln  about  it.     Their 


WHITE-HOUSE  INCIDENTS.  87 

relations  to  each  other  being  of  the  most  intimate  character, 
he  told  the  President  frankly,  that  he  ought  to  remember 
that  a  message  to  Congress  was  a  different  affair  from 
a  speech  at  a  mass  meeting  in  Illinois  ;  that  the  mes- 
sages became  a  part  of  history,  and  should  be  written 
accordingly. 

"  What  is  the  matter  now  ?"  inquired  the  President. 

"Why,"  said  Mr.  Defrees,  "you  have  used  an  undig- 
nified expression  in  the  message  ;"  and  then,  reading  the 
paragraph  aloud,  he  added,  "  I  would  alter  the  structure 
of  that,  if  I  were  you." 

"  Defrees,"  replied  Mr.  Lincoln,  "  that  word  expresses 
precisely  my  idea,  and  I  am  not  going  to  change  it.  The 
time  will  never  come  in  this  country  when  the  people  won't 
know  exactly  what  sugar-coated  means  !  " 

On  a  subsequent  occasion,  Mr.  Defrees  states  that  a 
certain  sentence  of  another  message  was  very  awkwardly 
constructed.  Calling  the  President's  attention  to  in  the 
proof-copy,  the  latter  acknowledged  the  force  of  the  objec- 
tion raised,  and  said,  "  Go  home,  Defrees,  and  see  if  you 
can  better  it." 

The  next  day  Mr.  Defrees  took  in  to  him  his  amendment. 
Mr.  Lincoln  met  him  by  saying  :  "  Seward  found  the  same 
fault  that  you  did.  and  he  has  been  rewriting  the  paragraph, 
also."  Then,  reading  Mr.  Defrees'  version,  he  said,  "  I 
believe  you  have  beaten  Seward;  but,  '  I  jings,'  I  think  I 
can  beat  you  both."  Then,  taking  up  his  pen,  he  wrote 
the  sentence  as  it  was  finally  printed. 


Lincoln's  Advice  to  a  Prominent  Bachelor. 

Upon  the  bethrothal  of  the  Prince  of  Wales  to  the  Prin- 
cess Alexandra,  Queen  Victoria  sent  a  letter  to  each  of 
the  European  sovereigns,  and  also    to  President  Lincoln, 


88  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

announcing  the  fact.  Lord  Lyons,  her  ambassador  ot 
Washington, — a  "  bachelor,"  by  the  way, — requested  an 
audience  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  that  he  might  present  this  im- 
portant document  in  person.  At  the  time  appointed  he 
was  received  at  the  White  House,  in  company  with  Mr. 
Seward. 

"  May  it  please  your  Excellency/'  said  Lord  Lyons,  u  I 
hold  in  my  hand  an  autograph  letter  from  my  royal  mis- 
tress, Queen  Victoria,  which  I  have  been  commanded  to 
present  to  your  Excellency.  In  it  she  informs  your  Excel- 
lency, that  her  son,  his  Royal  Highness  the  Prince  of 
Wales,  is  about  to  contract  a  matrimonial  alliance  with  her 
Royal  Highness  the  Princess  Alexandra  of  Denmark." 

After  continuing  in  this  strain  for  a  few  minutes,  Lord 
Lyons  tendered  the  letter  to  the  President  and  awaited  his 
reply.  It  was  short,  simple,  and  expressive,  and  consisted 
simply  of  the  words  : 

"  Lord  Lyons,  go  thou  and  do  likewise." 

It  is  doubtful  if  an  English  ambassador  was  ever  ad- 
dressed in  this  manner  before,  and  it  would  be  interesting 
to  learn  what  success  he  met  with  in  putting  the  reply  in 
diplomatic  language  when  he  reported  it  to  her  Majesty. 


Mr.  Lincoln  and  the  Bashful  Boys — He  Tells  a  Story  of  Daniel 

Webster. 

The  President  and  a  friend  were  standing  upon  the  thresh- 
old of  the  door  under  the  portico  of  the  White  House 
awaiting  the  coachman,  when  a  letter  was  put  into  his  hand. 
While  he  was  reading  this,  people  were  passing,  as  is  cus- 
tomary, up  and  down  the  promenade,  whieh  leads  through 
the  grounds  to  the  War  Department,  crossing,  of  course, 
the  portico.  Attention  was  attracted  to  an  approaching 
party,  apparently  a  countryman,  plainly  dressed,  with  his 


WHITE.HOUSE  INCIDENTS.  89 

wife  and  two  little  boys,  who  had  evidently  been  straying 
about,  looking  at  the  places  of  public  interest  in  the  city. 
As  they  reached  the  portico,  the  father,  who  was  in  advance, 
caught  sight  of  the  tall  figure  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  absorbed  in 
his  letter.  His  wife  and  the  little  boys  were  ascending  the 
steps. 

The  man  stopped  suddenly,  put  out  his  hand  with  a  "  hush  " 
to  his  family,  and,  after  a  moment's  gaze,  he  bent  down  and 
whispered  to  them,  "  There  is  the  President!"  Then  leav- 
ing them,  he  slowly  made  a  half  circuit  around  Mr.  Lincoln, 
watching  him  intently  all  the  while. 

At  this  point,  having  finished  his  letter,  the  President 
turned  and  said:  "Well,  we  will  not  wait  any  longer  for 
the  carriage;  it  won't  hurt  you  and  me  to  walk  down." 

The  countryman  here  approached  very  diffidently,  and 
asked  if  he  might  be  allowed  to  take  the  President  by  the 
hand;  after  which,  "Would  he  extend  the  same  privilege 
to  his  wife  and  little  boys  ?" 

Mr.  Lincoln,  good-naturedly,  approached  the  latter,  who 
had  remained  where  they  were  stopped,  and,  reaching  down? 
said  a  kind  word  to  the  bashful  little  fellows,  who  shrank 
close  up  to  their  mother,  and  did  not  reply.  This  simple 
act  filled  the  father's  cup  full. 

"  The  Lord  is  with  you,  Mr.  President,"  he  said,  rever- 
ently; and  then,  hesitating  a  moment,  he  added,  with  strong 
emphasis,  "  and  the  people,  too,  sir,'  and  the  people,  too!" 
A  few  moments  later  Mr.  Lincoln  remarked  to  his  friend: 
"  Great  men  have  various  estimates.  When  Daniel  Webster 
made  his  tour  through  the  West  years  ago,  he  visited  Spring- 
field among  other  places,  where  great  preparations  had  been 
made  to  receive  him.  As  the  procession  was  going  through 
the  town,  a  barefooted  little  darkey  boy  pulled  the  sleeve  of 
a  man  named  ri.,  and  asked  : 

"  '  What  the  folks  were  all  doing  down  the  street?' 


90  LINCOLN  8T0RIB3. 

«  < Why,  Jaek,'  was  the  reply,  '  the  biggest  man  in  the 
world  is  coming.' 

"  Now,  there  lived  in  Springfield  a  man  by  the  name  of 
G. — a  very  corpulent  man.  Jack  darted  off  down  the  street, 
but  presently  returned,  with  a  very  disappointed  air. 

"  '  "Well,  did  you  see  him?'  inquired  T. 

" '  Yees,'  returned  Jack ;  '  but  laws — he  ain't  half  as  big 
as  old  G:  " 


An  Irish  Soldier  Who  Wanted  Something  Stronger  than  Soda-Water. 

Upon  Mr.  Lincoln's  return  to  "Washington,  after  the  cap- 
ture of  Richmond,  a  member  of  the  Cabinet  asked  him  if  it 
would  be  proper  to  permit  Jacob  Thompson  to  slip  through 
Maine  in  disguise,  and  embark  from  Portland.  The  Presi- 
dent, as  usual,  was  disposed  to  be  merciful,  and  to  permit 
the  arch-rebel  to  pass  unmolested,  but  the  Secretary  urged 
that  he  should  be  arrested  as  a  traitor.  "  By  permitting 
him  to  escape  the  penalties  of  treason,"  persistently  remarked 
the  Secretary,  "  you  sanction  it."  "  "Well,"  replied  Mr.  Lin- 
coln, "  let  me  tell  you  a  story. 

"  There  was  an  Irish  soldier  here  last  Summer,  who  wanted 
something  to  drink  stronger  than  water,  and  stopped  at  a 
drug-shop,  where  he  espied  a  soda-fountain. 

"  '  Mr.  Doctor,'  said  he,  '  £ive  me,  plase,  a  glass  of  soda- 
wather,  an'  if  yees  can  put  in  a  few  drops  of  whisky  unbe- 
known to  any  one,  I'll  be  obleeged.' 

"  Now,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln,  "  if  Jake  Thompson  is  per- 
mitted to  go  through  Maine  unbeknown  to  any  one,  what's 
the  harm?     So  don't  have  him  arrested." 


WHITE-HOUSE  INCIDENTS.  91 

Looking  Out  for  Breakers — How  the  President  Illustrated  It. 

In  a  time  of  despondency,  some  visitors  were  telling  the 
President  of  the  "  breakers  "  so  often  seen  ahead — "  this 
time  surely  coming."  "  That,"  said  he,  "  suggests  the  story 
of  the  school-boy,  who  never  could  pronounce  the  names 
'  Shadrach,'  '  Meshach,'  and  '  Abednego.'  He  had  been 
repeatedly  whipped  for  it  without  effect.  Sometime  after- 
wards he  saw  the  names  in  the  regular  lesson  for  the  day. 
Putting  his  finger  upon  the  place,  he  turned  to  his  next 
neighbor,  an  older  boy,  and  whispered,  '  Here  comes  those 
"  tormented  Hebrews'''1  again  P  " 


Work    Enough  for    Twenty    Presidents    Illustrated    by  a  Story 

About  Jack  Chase. 

A  farmer  from  one  of  the  border  counties  went  to  the 
President  on  a  certain  occasion  with  the  complaint  that  the 
Union  soldiers  in  passing  his  farm  had  helped  themselves 
not  only  to  hay  but  to  his  horse;  and  he  hoped  the  proper 
officer  would  be  required  to  consider  his  claim  immediately. 

"  Why,  my  good  sir,"  replied  Mr.  Lincoln,  "  if  I  should 
attempt  to  consider  every  such  individual  case,  I  should 
find  work  enough  for  twenty  Presidents  ! 

"  In  my  early  days,  I  knew  one  Jack  Chase,  who  was  a 
lumberman  on  the  Illinois,  and,  when  steady  and  sober,  the 
best  raftsman  on  the  river.  It  was  quite  a  trick  twenty- 
five  years  ago  to  take  the  logs  over  the  rapids,  but  he  was 
skillful  with  a  raft,  and  always  kept  her  straight  in  the  chan- 
nel. Finally  a  steamer  was  put  on,  and  Jick — he's  dead 
now,  poor  fellow  ! — was  made  captain  of  her.  He  always 
used  to  take  the  wheel  going  through  the  rapids.  One 
day,  when  the  boat  was  plunging  and  wallowing  along  the 
boiling  current,  and  Jack's  utmost  vigilance  was  being 
exercised  to  keep  her  in  the  narrow  channel,  a  boy  pulled 


92  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

his  coat-tail  and  hailed  him  with:  '  Say,  Mister  Captain!  I 
wish  you  would  just  stop  your  boat  a  minute — I've  lost 
my  apple  overboard  !'  " 


Philosophy    of     Canes — The    Kind    Lincoln    Made    and    Carried 

When   a  Boy. 

A  gentleman  calling  at  the  White  House  one  evening 
carried  a  cane,  which,  in  the  course  of  conversation,  attracted 
the  President's  attention.  Taking  it  in  his  hand,  he  said: 
"  I  always  used  a  cane  when  I  was  a  boy.  It  was  a  freak 
of  mine.  Mv  favorite  one  was  a  knotted  beech  stick,  and  I 
carved  the  head  myself.  There's  a  mighty  amount  of  char- 
acter in  sticks.  Don't  you  think  so?  You  have  seen  these 
fishing-poles  that  fit  into  a  cane  ?  Well,  that  was  an  old 
idea  of  mine.  Dogwood  clubs  were  favorite  ones  with  the 
boys.  I  suppose  they  use  them  yet.  Hickory  is  too  heavy, 
unless  you  get  it  from  a  young  sapling.  Have  you  ever 
noticed  how  a  stick  in  one's  hand  will  change  his  appear- 
ance? Old  women  and  witches  wouldn't  look  so  without 
sticks.     Meg  Merrilies  understands  that." 


Stories    Illustrating   Lincoln's    Memory. 

Mr.  Lincoln's  memory  was  very  remarkable.  At  one  of 
the  afternoon  receptions  at  the  White  House,  a  stranger 
shook  hands  with  him,  and,  as  he  did  so,  remarked,  casually, 
that  he  was  elected  to  Congress  about  the  time  Mr.  Lin- 
coln's term  a3  representative  expired,  which  happened 
many  years  before. 

"Tes,"  said  the  President,  "you  are  from ,"  men- 
tioning the  state.  "  I  remember  reading  of  your  election 
in  a  newspaper  one  morning  on  a  steamboat  going  down  to 
Mount  Vernon." 


WBITE-HOUSE  INCIDENTS.  93 

At  another  time  a  gentleman  addressed  him,  saying,  "  I 
presume,  Mr.  President,  that  you  have  forgotten  me?" 

"  No,"  was  the  prompt  reply ;  "  your  name  is  Flood.     I 

saw  you  last,  twelve  years  ago,  at ,"  naming  the  place 

and  the  occasion.     "  I  am  glad  to  see,"  he  continued,  "  that 
the  Flood  flows  on." 

Subsequent  to  his  re-election  a  deputation  of  bankers 
from  various  sections  were  introduced  one  day  by  the  Secre- 
tary of  the  Treasury.  After  a  few  moments  of  general  con- 
versation, Mr.  Lincoln  turned  to  one  of  them,  and  said: 
"  Your  district  did  not  give  me  so  strong  a  vote  at  the  last 
election  as  it  did  in  1860." 

"  I  think,  sir,  that  you  must  be  mistaken,"  replied  the 
banker.  "  I  have  the  impression  that  your  majority  was 
considerably  increased  at  the  last  election." 

"  No,"  rejoined  the  President,  "  you  fell  off  about  six 
hundred  votes."  Then  taking  down  from  the  book-case  the 
official  canvass  of  1860  and  1864,  he  referred  to  the  vote  of 
the  district  named,  and  proved  to  be  quite  right  in  his 
assertion. 


Common  Sense. 

The  Hon.  Mr.  Hubbard,  of  Connecticut,  once  called  upon 
the  President  in  reference  to  a  newly  invented  gun,  concern- 
ing which  a  committee  had  been  appointed  to  make  a  report. 

The  "  report "  was  sent  for,  and  when  it  came  in  was  found 
to  be  of  the  most  voluminous  description.  Mr.  Lincoln 
glanced  at  it,  and  said :  "  I  should  want  a  new  lease  of  life 
to  read  this  through!"  Throwing  it  down  upon  the  table, 
he  added:  "  Why  can't  a  committee  of  this  kind  occasion- 
ally exhibit  a  grain  of  common  sense?  If  I  send  a  man  to 
buy  a  horse  for  me,  I  expect  him  to  tell  me  his  points — not 
how  many  hairs  there  are  in  his  tail. 


94  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

Lincoln's  Confab  with  a  Committee  on  "Grant's  Whisky." 

Just  previous  to  the  fall  of  Yicksburg,  a  self-constituted 
committee,  solicitous  for  the  morale  of  our  armies,  took  it 
upon  themselves  to  visit  the  President  and  urge  the  removal 
of  General  Grant. 

In  some  surprise  Mr.  Lincoln  inquired,  "  For  what  rea- 
son?" 

"  "Why,"  replied  the  spokesman,  "  he  drinks  too  much 
whisky." 

"  Ah!"  rejoined  Mr.  Lincoln,  dropping  his  lower  lip. 
"By  the  way,  gentlemen,  can  either  of  you  tell  me  where 
General  Grant  procures  his  whisky?  because,  if  I  can  find 
out,  I  will  send  every  general  in  the  field  a  barrel  of 'it /" 


A  "Pretty  Tolerable  Respectable  Sort  of  a  Clergyman." 

Some  one  was  discussing,  in  the  presence  of  Mr.  Lincoln, 
the  character  of  a  time-serving  Washington  clergyman. 
Said  Mr.  Lincoln  to  his  visitor: 

"  I  think  you  are  rather  hard  upon  Mr. .     He  reminds 

me  of  a  man  in  Illinois,  who  was  tried  for  passing  a  count- 
erfeit bill.  It  was  in  evidence  that  before  passing  it  he  had 
taken  it  to  the  cashier  of  a  bank  and  asked  his  opinion  of 
the  bill,  and  he  received  a  very  prompt  reply  that  it  was  a 
counterfeit.  His  lawyer,  who  had  heard  the  evidence  to  be 
brought  against  his  client,  asked  him,  just  before  going  into 
court,  l  Did  you  take  the  bill  to*  the  cashier  of  the  bank 
and  ask  him  if  it  was  good?' 

"  '  I  did,'  was  the  reply. 

"  '  "Well,  what  was  the  reply  of  the  cashier?* 

"  The  rascal  was  in  a  corner,  but  he  got  out  of  it  in  this 
fashion :  '  He  said  it  was  a  pretty  tolerable,  respectable  sort 
ot  a  bill.' "  Mr.  Lincoln  thought  the  clergyman  was  "  a 
pretty  tolerable,  respectable  sort  of  a  clergyman." 


WHITE-HOUSE  INCIDENTS.  97 

How  Lincoln  Opened  the  Eyes  of  an  Inquisitive  Visitor. 

Mr.  Lincoln  sometimes  had  a  very  effective  way  of  dealing 
with  men  who  troubled  him  with  questions.  A  visitor  cnce 
asked  him  how  manv  men  the  Rebels  had  in  the  field. 

The  President  replied,  very  seriously,  "Twelve  hundred 
thousand,  according  to  the  best  authority.'''' 

The  interrogator  blanched  in  the  face,  and  ejaculated, 
"  Good  Heavens!'''' 

"  Yes,  sir,  twelve  hundred  thousand — no  doubt  of  it. 
You  see,  all  of  our  generals,  when  they  get  whipped,  say 
the  enemy  outnumbers  them  from  three  or  five  to  one,  and 
I  must  believe  them.  We  have  four  hundred  thousand  men 
in  the  field,  and  three  times  four  make  twelve.  Don't  you 
see  it?" 


Minnehaha  and  Minneboohoo! 

Some  gentlemen  fresh  from  a  Western  tour,  during  a  call 
at  the  White  House,  referred  in  the  course  of  conversation 
to  a  body  of  water  in  Nebraska,  which  bore  an  Indian  name 
signifying  "  weeping  water."  Mr.  Lincoln  instantly  re- 
sponded: "As  '  laughing  water,'  according  to  Longfellow, 
is  '  Minnehaha,'  this  evidei  tly  should  be  '  Minneboohoo 


j  » 


Meeting  of  President  Lincoln   and  the  Artist,  Carpenter. 

F.  B.  Carpenter,  the  celebrated  artist  and  author  of  the 
well-known  painting  of  Lincoln  and  his  Cabinet  issuing  the 
Emancipation  Proclamation,  describes  his  first  meeting 
with  the  President,  as  follows: 

"  Two  o'clock  found  me  one  of  the  throng  pressing  toward 
the  center  of  attraction,  the  '  blue  '  room.  From  the  thresh- 
old of  the  '  crimson  '  parlor  as  I  passed,  I  had  a  glimpse 
t 


98  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

of  the  gaunt  figure  of  Mr.  Lincoln  in  the  distance,  haggard- 
looking,  dressed  in  black,  relieved  only  by  the  prescribed 
white  gloves;  standing,  it  seemed  tome,  solitary  and  alone, 
though  surrounded  by  the  crowd,  bending  low  now  and 
then  in  the  process  of  hand  shaking,  and  responding  half 
abstractedly  to  the  weli-meant  greetings  of  the  miscel- 
laneous assemblage. 

"  Never  shall  I  forget  the  electric  thrill  which  went 
through  my  whole  being  at  this  instant.  1  seemed  to  see 
lines  radiating  from  every  part  of  the  globe,  converging  to 
a  focus  at  the  point  where  thai  plain,  awkward-looking  man 
stood,  and  to  hear  in  spirit  a  million  prayers,  '  as  the  sound 
of  many  waters,'  ascending  in  his  behalf.  Mingled  with 
supplication  I  could  discern  a  clear  symphony  of  triumph 
and  blessing,  swelling  with  an  ever-increasing  volume.  It 
was  the  voice  of  those  who  had  been  bondmen  and  bond- 
women, and  the  grand  diapason  swept  up  from  the  coming 
ages. 

"  It  was  soon  my  privilege,  in  the  regular  succession,  to 
take  that  honored  hand.  Accompanying  the  act,  my  name 
and  profession  were  announced  to  him  in  a  low  tone  by  one 
of  the  assistant  private  secretaries,  who  stood  by  his  side. 
Retaining  my  hand,  he  lookei  at  me  inquiringly  for  an 
instant,  and  said,  '  Oh,  yes;  I  know;  this  is  the  painter.' 
Then  straightening  himself  to  his  full  height,  with  a  twinkle 

of  the  eye,  he  added,  playfully,  "  Do  you  think,  Mr.  C , 

that  you  can  make  a  handsome  picture  of  mef  emphasizing 
strongly  the  last  word.  Somewhat  confused  at  this  point- 
blank  shot,  uttered  in  a  tone  so  loud  as  to  attract  the 
attention  of  those  in  immediate  proximity,  I  made  a  ran- 
dom reply,  and  took  the  occasion  to  ask  if  I  could  see  him 
in  his  study  at  the  close  of  the  reception.  To  this  he  re- 
sponded in  the  peculiar  vernacular  of  the  West,  '  I  reckon,' 
resuming  meanwhile  the  mechanical  and  traditional  exer< 


WEITB-V.OUSE  INGWENTS.  98 

cise  of  the  hand  which  no  President  has  ever  yet  been  able 
to  avoid,  and  which,  severe  as  is  the  ordeal,  is  likely  to 
attach  to  the  position  so  long  as  the  Republic  endures." 


An  Apt  Illustration. 

At  the  White  House  one  day  some  gentlemen  were  pres- 
ent from  the  West,  excited  and  troubled  about  the  com- 
missions or  omissions  of  the  Administration.  The  President 
heard  them  patiently,  and  then  replied:  "  Gentlemen,  sup- 
pose all  the  property  you  were  worth  was  in  gold,  and  you 
had  put  it  in  the  hands  of  JBlondin  to  carry  across  the 
Niagara  River  on  a  rope,  would  you  shake  the  cable,  or 
keep  shouting  out  to  him,  'Blondin,  stand  up  a  little 
straighter — Blondin,  stoop  a  little  more — go  a  little  faster 
— lean  a  little  more  to  the  north — lean  a  little  more  to  the 
south?'  No  !  you  would  hold  your  breath  as  well  as  your 
tongue,  and  keep  your  hands  off  until  he  was  safe  over. 
The  Government  is  carrying  an  immense  weight.  Untold 
treasures  are  in  their  hands.  They  are  doing  the  very  best 
they  can.  Don't  badger  them.  Keep  silence,  and  we'll 
get  you  safe  across." 


More  Light  and  Less    Noise. 

An  editorial,  in  a  New  York  journal,  opposing  Lincoln's 
re-nomination,  is  said  to  have  called  out  from  him  the  fol- 
lowing story:  A  traveler  on  the  frontier  found  himself  out 
of  his  reckoning  one  night  in  a  most  inhospitable  region. 
A  terrific  thunder-storm  came  up,  to  add  to  his  trouble. 
He  floundered  along  until  his  horse  at  length  gave  out. 
The  lightning  afforded  him  the  only  clew  to  his  way,  but 
the  peals  of  thunder  were  frightful.  One  bolt,  which  seemed 
to  crash  the  earth  beneath  him,  brought  him  to  his  knees. 


I0d  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

By  no  means  a  praying  man,  his  petition  was  short  and  to 
the  point — "  O  Lord,  if  it  is  all  the  same  to  you,  give  us  a 
little  more  light  and  a  little  less  noise!" 


How  Lincoln     Browsed ''  Around. 

A  party  of  gentlemen,  among  whom  was  a  doctor  of  divinity 
of  much  dignity  of  manner,  calling  at  the  White  House 
one  day,  was  informed  by  the  porter  that  the  President 
was  at  dinner,  but  that  he  would  present  their  cards. 
The  doctor  demurred  at  this,  saying  that  he  would  call 
again.  "  Edward  "  assured  them  that  he  thought  it  would 
make  no  difference,  and  went  in  with  the  cards.  In  a  few 
minutes  the  President  walked  into  the  room,  with  a  kindly 
salutation,  and  a  request  that  the  friends  would  take  seats. 
The  doctor  expressed  his  regret  that  their  visit  was  so  ill- 
timed,  and  that  his  Excellency  was  disturbed  while  at  din- 
ner. "  Oh  !  no  consequence  at  all,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln, 
good-naturedly.  "  Mrs.  Lincoln  is  absent  at  present,  and 
when  she  is  away,  I  generally  '  browse  '  around." 


Lincoln  Cutting  Red  Tape. 

"  Upon  entering  the  President's  office  one  afternoon," 
says  a  Washington  correspondent,  "  I  found  Mr.  Lincoln 
busily  counting  greenbacks. 

"  '  This,  sir,'  said  he,  'is  something  out  of  my  usual  line; 
but  a  President  of  the  United  States  has  a  multiplicity  of 
duties  not  specified  in  the  Constitution  or  acts  of  Congress. 
This  is  one  of  them.  This  money  belongs  to  a  poor  negro 
who  is  a  porter  in  the  Treasury  Department,  at  present 
very  bad  with  the  small-pox.  He  is  now  in  hospital,  and 
could  not  draw  his  pay  because  he  could  not  sign  his  name. 
I  have  been   at  considerable  trouble  to  overcome  the  diffi* 


WHITE-HOUSE  INCIDENTS.  101 

culty  and  get  it  for  him,  and  have  at  length  succeeded  in 
cutting  red  tape,  as  you  newspaper  men  say.  I  am  now 
dividing  the  money  and  putting  by  a  portion  labelled,  in 
an  envelope,  with  my  own  hands,  according  to  his  wish  ; ' 
and  he  proceeded  to  indorse  the  package  very  carefully." 

JSo  one  witnessing  the  transaction  could  fail  to  appreciate 
the  goodness  of  heart  which  prompted  the  President  of  the 
United  States  to  turn  aside  for  a  time  from  his  weighty 
cares  to  succor  one  of  the  humblest  of  his  fellow-creatures 
in  sickness  and  sorrow. 


One  of  Lincoln's  Drolleries. 

Concerning  a  drollery  of  President  Lincoln,  this  story  is 
told  : 

"  During  the  Rebellion  an  Austrian  Count  applied  to 
President  Lincoln  for  a  position  in  the  army.  Being  intr^ 
duced  by  the  Austrian  Minister,  he  needed,  of  course,  no 
further  recommendation  ;  but,  as  if  fearing  that  his  im- 
portance might  not  be  duly  appreciated,  he  proceeded  to 
explain  that  he  was  a  Count  ;  that  his  family  were*  ancient 
and  highly  respectable;  when  Lincoln,  with  a  merry 
twinkle  in  his  eye,  tapping  the  aristocratic  lover  of  titles 
on  the  shoulder,  in  a  fatherly  way,  as  if  the  man  had  con- 
fessed to  some  wrong,  interrupted  in  a  soothing  tone, 
'Never  mind;  you  shall  be  treated  with  just  as  much 
consideration  for  all  that  ? '  " 


Anecdote  Showing  the  Methods  by  which  Lincoln  and  Stanton 
Dismissed  Applicants  for  Offioe. 

A  gentleman  states  in  a  Chicago  journal :  In  the  Winter 
of  1864,  after  serving  three  years  in  the  Union  army,  and 
being  honorably  discharged,  I  made  application  for  the  post 


103  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

sutlership  at  Point  Lookout.  My  father  being  interested, 
we  made  application  to  Mr.  Stanton,  then  Secretary  of  War. 
We  obtained  an  audience,  and  was  ushered  into  the  presence 
of  the  most  pompous  man  I  ever  met.  As  I  entered  lie 
waved  his  hand  for  me  to  stop  at  a  given  distance  from  him, 
and  then  put  these  questions,  viz. : 

"  Did  you  serve  three  years  in  the  army?" 

"  I  did,  sir." 

"  Were  you  honorably  discharged?" 

"  I  was,  sir?" 

"Let  me  see  your  discharge?" 

I  gave  it  to  him.  He  looked  it  over,  and  then  said: 
"  Were  you  ever  wounded?" 

I  told  him  yes,  at  the  battle  of  Williamsburg,  May  5, 1861. 

He  then  said:  "  I  think  we  can  give  this  position  to  a 
soldier  who  has  lost  an  arm  or  leg,  he  being  more  deserving,'' 
and  he  then  said  that  I  looked  hearty  and  healthy  enough 
to  serve  three  years  more.  He  would  not  give  me  a  chance 
to  argue  my  case.  The  audience  was  at  an  end.  He  waved 
his  hand  to  me.  I  was  then  dismissed  from  the  august 
presence  of  the  Honorable  Secretary  of  War. 

My  father  was  waiting  for  me  in  the  hallway,  who  saw 
by  my  countenance  that  I  was  not  successful.  I  said  to  my 
father,  "Let  us  go  over  to  Mr.  Lincoln;  he  may  give  us 
more  satisfaction."  He  said  it  would  do  no  good,  but  we 
went  over.  Mr.  Lincoln's  reception  room  was  full  of  ladies 
and  gentlemen  when  we  entered,  and  the  scene  was  one  I 
shall  never  forget.  On  her  knees  was  a  woman  in  the  agonies 
of  despair,  witii  tears  rolling  down  her  cheeks,  imploring  for 
the  life  of  her  son,  who  had  deserted  and  had  been  con- 
demned  to  be  shot.  I  heard  Mr.  Lincoln  say:  "Madam 
do  not  act  this  way,  it  is  agony  to  me;  I  would  pardon 
your  son  if  it  was  in  my  power,  but  there  must  be  an 
example  made,  or  I  will  have  no  army." 


WHITE-HOUSE  INCIDENTS.  103 

At  this  speech  the  woman  fainted.  Lincoln  motioned  to 
his  attendant,  who  picked  the  woman  up  and  carried  her 
out.     All  in  the  room  were  in  tears. 

But,  now  changing  the  scene  from  the  sublime  to  the 
ridiculous,  the  next  applicant  for  favor  was  a  big,  buxom 
Irish  woman,  who  stood  before  the  President  with  arms 
akimbo,  saying,  "Mr.  Lincoln,  can't  I  sell  apples  on  the 
railroad?"  Lincoln  said:  "Certainly,  madam;  you  can 
sell  all  you  wish."  But  she  said,  "  You  must  give  me  a 
pass  or  the  soldiers  will  not  let  me."  Lincoln  then  wrote  a 
few  lines  and  gave  it  to  her,  who  said,  "Thank  you,  sir; 
God  bless,  you."  This  shows  how  quick  and  clear  were  all 
this  man's  decisions. 

I  stood  and  watched  him  for  two  hours,  and  he  dismissed 
each  case  as  cuickiy  as  the  above,  with  satisfaction  to  all. 

My  turn  soon  came.  Lincoln  spoke  to  my  father,  and 
said,  "  Now,  gentlemen,  be  pleased  to  be  as  quick  as  possi- 
ble with  your  business,  as  it  is  growing  late."  My  father 
then  stepped  up  to  Lincoln  and  introduced  me  to  him. 
Lincoln  then  said,  "  Take  a  seat,  gentlemen,  and  state  your 
business  as  ouick  as  possible."  There  was  but  one  chair  by 
Lincoln,  so  he  motioned  to  my  father  to  sit,  while  I  stood. 
My  father  stated  the  business  to  him  as  stated  above.  He 
then  said,  "Have  you  seen  Mr.  Stanton?"  We  told  him 
yes,  that  he  had  refused.  He  (Mr.  Lincoln)  then  said: 
"Gentlemen,  this  is  Mr.  Stanton's  business;  I  can  not 
interfere  with  him;  he  attends  to  all  these  matters,  and  I 
am  sorry  I  can  not  help  you." 

He  saw  that  we  were  disappointed,  and  did  his  best  to 
revive  our  spirits.  lie  succeeded  well  with  my  father,  who 
was  a  Lincoln  man,  and  who  was  a  staunch  Republican. 

Mr.  Lincoln  then  said:  "Now,  gentlemen,  I  will  tell 
you  what  it  is;  I  have  thousands  of  applications  like  this 
every  day,  but  we  can  not  satisfy  all  for  this  reason,  that 


104  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

these  positions  are  like  office-seekers,  there  are  too  many 
pigs  for  the  tits?'* 

The  ladies  who  were  listening  to  the  conversation  placed 
their  handkerchiefs  to  their  faces  and  turned  away.  But 
the  joke  of  Old  Abe  put  us  all  in  a  good  humor.  "We 
then  left  the  presence  of  the  greatest  and  most  just  man 
who  ever  lived  to  fill  the  Presidential  chair. 


An  Instance  Where  the  President's  Mind  Wandered. 

An  amusing,  yet  touching  instance  of  the  President's 
pre-occupation  of  mind,  occurred  at  one  of  his  levees, 
when  he  was  shaking  hands  with  a  host  of  visitors  passing 
him  in  a  continuous  stream.  An  intimate  acquaintance 
received  the  usual  conventional  hand-shake  and  salutation, 
but  perceiving  that  he  was  not  recognized,  kept  his  ground 
instead  of  moving  on,  and  spoke  again ;  when  the  Presi- 
dent, roused  to  a  dim  consciousness  that  something  unusual 
had  happened,  perceived  who  stood  before  him,  and  seizing 
his  friend's  hand,  shook  it  again  heartily,  saying,  "  How  do 
you  do?  How  do  you  do?  Excuse  me  for  not  noticing 
you.  I  was  thinking  of  a  man  down  South."  He  after- 
ward privately  acknowledged  that  the  "  man  down  South  " 
was  Sherman,  then  on  his  march  to  the  sea. 


Lincoln  and  the  Preacher. 

An  officer  of  the  Government  called  one  day  at  the  "White 
House,  and  introduced  a  clerical  friend.  "Mr.  President," 
said  he,  "allow  me  to  present  to  you  my  friend,  the  Rev. 

Mr.  F.,  of  .     He  has  expressed  a  desire  to  see  you  and 

have  some  conversation  with  you,  and  I  am  happy  to  be  the 
means  of  introducing  him." 

The  President  shook  hands  with  Mr.  F.,  and  desiring 


WHITE-HOUSE  INCIDENTS.  105 

him  to  be  seated  took  a  seat  himself.  Then,  his  counte- 
nance having  assumed  an  air  of  patient  waiting,  he  said:  "  I 
am  now  ready  to  hear  what  you  have  to  say."  "Oh,  bless 
you,  sir,"  said  Mr.  F.,  "I  have  nothing  special  to  say;  I 
merely  called  to  pay  my  respects  to  you,  and,  as  one  of 
the  million,  to  assure  you  of  my  hearty  sympathy  and 
support." 

"  My  dear  sir,"  said  the  President,  rising  promptly,  his 
face  showing  instant  relief,  and  with  both  hands  grasping 
that  of  his  visitor,  "  I  am  very  glad  to  see  you,  indeed.  1 
thought  you  had  come  to  preach  to  me/" 


A  Home  Incident— Lincoln  and  Little  "  Tad." 

The  day  after  the  review  of  Bumside's  division  sonni 
photographers,  says  Mr.  Carpenter,  came  up  to  the  White 
House  to  make  some  stereoscopic  studies  for  me  of  the 
President's  office.  They  requested  a  dark  closet,  in  which 
to  develop  the  pictures;  and  without  a  thought  that  I  was 
infringing  upon  anybody's  rights,  I  took  them  to  an  unoc- 
cupied room  of  which  little  "  Tad  "  had  taken  possession  a 
few  days  before,  and  with  the  aid  of  a  couple  of  the  ser- 
vants, had  fitted  up  as  a  miniature  theatre,  with  stage,  cur- 
tains, orchestra,  stalls,  parquette,  and  all.  Knowing  that 
the  use  required  would  interfere  with  none  of  his  arrange- 
ments, I  led  the  way  to  this  apartment. 

Everything  went  on  well,  and  one  or  two  pictures  had 
been  taken,  when  suddenly  there  was  an  uproar.  The 
operator  came  back  to  the  office,  and  said  that  "  Tad  "  had 
taken  great  offence  at  the  occupation  of  his  room  without 
his  consent,  and  had  locked  the  door,  .refusing  all  admission. 
The  chemicals  had  been  taken  inside,  and  there  was  no  way 
of  getting  at  them,  he  having  carried  off  the  key.  In  the 
midst  of  this  conversation,  "Tad"  burst  in,  in  a  fearful 


106  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

passion.  He  laid  all  the  blame  upon  me — said  that  I  had 
no  right  to  use  his  room,  and  the  men  should  not  go  in 
even  to  get  their  things.  He  had  locked  the  door,  and  they 
should  not  go  there  again — "  they  had  no  business  in  his 
room  !" 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  sitting  for  a  photograph,  and  was  still 
in  the  chair.  He  said,  very  mildly,  "  Tad,  go  and  unlock 
the  door."  Tad  went  off  muttering  into  his  mother's  room, 
refusing  to  obey.  I  followed  him  into  the  passage,  but  no 
coaxing  would  pacify  him.  Upon  my  return  to  the  Presi- 
dent, I  found  him  still  sitting  patiently  in  the  chair,  from 
which  he  had  not  risen.  He  said:  "Has  not  the  boy 
opened  the  door?"  I  replied  that  we  could  do  nothing  with 
him — he  had  gone  off  in  a  great  pet.  Mr.  Lincoln's  lips 
came  together  firmly,  and  then,  suddenly  rising,  he  strode 
across  the  passage  with  the  air  of  one  bent  on  punishment, 
and  disappeared  in  the  domestic  apartments.  Directly  he 
returned  with  the  key  to  the  theatre,  which  he  unlocked 
himself.  "  There,"  said  he,  "  go  ahead,  it  is  all  right  now." 
He  then  went  back  to  his  office,  followed  by  myself,  and 
resumed  his  seat.  "Tad,"  said  he,  half  apologetically,  "  is 
a  peculiar  child.  He  was  violently  excited  when  I  went  to 
him.  I  said,  'Tad,  do  you  know  you  are  making  your 
father  a  great  deal  of  trouble?'  He  burst  into  tears, 
instantly  giving  me  up  the  key." 


A   Touching   Incident  —  Lincoln    Mourning   for  His   Lost   Son   is 
Comforted  by  Rev.  Dr.  Vinton. 

After  the  funeral  of  his  son,  William  "Wallace  Lincoln, 
in  February,  1862,  the  President  resumed  his  official  duties, 
but  mechanically,  and  with  a  terrible  weight  at  his  heart. 
The  following  Thursday  he  gave  way  to  his  feelings,  and 
shut  himself  from  all  society.     The  second  Thursday  it  was 


WHITE-HOUSE  INCIDENTS.  107 

the  same;  he  would  see  no  one,  and  seemed  a  prey  to  the 
deepest  melancholy.  About  this  time  the  Rev.  Francis 
Vinton,  of  Trinity  Church,  New  York,  had  occasion  to 
spend  a  few  days  in  Washington.  An  acquaintance  of  Mrs. 
Lincoln  and  of  her  sister,  Mrs.  Edwards,  of  Springfield,  he 
was  requested  by  them  to  come  up  and  see  the  President. 
The  setting  apart  of  Thursday  for  the  indulgence  of  his 
grief  had  gone  on  for  several  weeks,  and  Mrs.  Lincoln 
began  to  be  seriously  alarmed  for  the  health  of  her  husband, 
of  which  fact  Dr.  Yinton  was  apprised. 

Mr.  Lincoln  received  him  in  the  parlor,  and  an  oppor- 
tunity was  soon  embraced  by  the  clergyman  to  chide  him 
for  showing  so  rebellious  a  disposition  to  the  decrees  of 
Providence.  He  told  him  plainly  that  the  indulgence  of 
such  feelings,  though  natural,  was  sinful.  It  was  unworthy 
one  who  believed  in  the  Christian  religion.  Pie  had  duties 
to  the  living,  greater  than  those  of  any  other  man,  as  the 
chosen  father,  and  leader  of  the  people,  and  he  was  unfitting 
himself  for  his  responsibilities  by  thus  giving  way  to  his 
grief.  To  mourn  the  departed  as  lost  belonged  to  heathen- 
ism— not  to  Christianity.  "  Y©ur  son,"  said  Dr.  Yinton, 
"  is  alive,  in  Paradise.  Do  you  remember  that  passage  in 
the  Gospels:  'God  is  not  the  God  of  the  dead  but  of  the 
living,  for  all  live  unto  Him?'  " 

The  President  had  listened  as  one  in  a  stupor,  until  his 
ear  caught  he  words,  "  Your  son  is  alive."  Starting  from  the 
sofa,  he  exclaimed,  "  Alive!  alive/     Surely  you  mock  me." 

"  No,  sir,  believe  me,"  replied  Dr.  Yinton;  "  it  is  a  most 
comforting  doctrine  of  the  Church,  founded  upon  the  words 
of  Christ  Himself." 

Mr.  Lincoln  looked  at  him  a  moment,  and  then,  stepping 
forward,  he  threw  his  arm  around  the  clergyman's  neck, 
and,  laying  his  head  upon  his  breast,  sobbed  aloud,  "  Alive? 
alive?"  he  repeated. 


108  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

"  My  dear  sir,"  said  Dr.  Yinton,  greatly  moved,  as  he 
twined  his  own  arm  around  the  weeping  father,  "  believe 
this,  for  it  is  God's  most  precious  truth.  Seek  not  your 
son  among  the  dead;  he  is  not  there;  he  lives  to-day  in 
Paradise!  Think  of  the  full  import  of  the  words  I  have 
quoted.  The  Sadducees,  when  they  questioned  Jesus,  had 
no  other  conception  than  that  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob 
were  dead  and  buried.  Mark  the  reply:  '  Xow  that  the 
dead  are  raised,  even  Moses  showed  at  the  bush  when  he 
called  the  Lord  the  God  of  Abraham,  the  God  of  Isaac,  and 
the  God  of  Jacob.  For  He  is  not  the  God  of  the  dead,  but 
of  the  living,  for  all  live  unto  HimP  Did  not  the  aged 
patriarch  mourn  his  sons  as  dead  ? — '  Joseph  is  not,  and 
Simeon  is  not,  and  ye  will  take  Benjamin,  also.'  But  Joseph 
and  Simeon  were  both  living,  though  he  believed  it  not. 
Indeed,  Joseph  being  taken  from  him,  was  the  eventual 
means  of  the  preservation  of  the  whole  family.  And  so 
God  has  called  your  son  into  His  upper  kingdom — a  king- 
dom and  an  existence  as  real,  more  real,  than  your  own.  It 
may  be  that  he,  too,  like  Joseph,  has  gone,  in  God's  good 
providence,  to  be  the  salvation  of  his  father's  household.  It 
is  a  part  of  the  Lord's  plan  for  the  ultimate  happiness  of 
you  and  yours.  Doubt  it  not.  I  have  a  sermon,"  con- 
tinued Dr.  Yinton,  "  upon  this  subject,  which  I  think  might 
interest  you." 

Mr.  Lincoln  begged  him  to  send  it  at  an  early  day — 
thanking  him  repeatedly  for  his  cheering  and  hopeful 
words.  The  sermon  was  sent,  and  read  over  and  over  by 
the  President,  who  caused  a  copy  to  be  made  for  his  own 
private  use  before  it  was  returned. 


WHITE-HOUSE  INCIDENTS.  109 

Lincoln  Wipes  the  Tears  from  His  Eyes  and  Tells  a  Story. 

A.  W.  Clark,  member  of  Congress  from  Watertown,  New 
Fork,  relates  the  following  interesting  story:  Daring  the 
war  a  constituent  came  to  me  and  stated  that  one  of  his 
sons  was  killed  in  a  battle,  and  another  died  at  Anderson- 
ville,  while  the  third  and  only  remaining  son  was  sick  at 
Harper's  Ferry. 

These  disasters  had  such  effect  on  his  wife  that  she  had 
become  insane.  He  wanted  to  get  this  last  and  sick  son 
discharged,  and  take  him  home,  hoping  it  would  restore  his 
wife  to  reason.  I  went  with  him  to  President  Lincoln  and 
related  the  facts  as  well  as  I  could,  the  father  sitting  by  and 
weeping.  The  President,  much  atiected,  asked  for  the 
papers  and  wrote  across  them,  "  Discharge  this  man." 

Then,  wiping  the  tear  from  his  cheek,  he  turned  to  the  man 
at  the  door,  and  said  "  Brinr;  in  th:.t  :  ian,  rather  as  if  he 
felt  bored,  which  caused  me  to  ask  why  it  was  so. 

He  replied  that  it  was  r.  writi?  g-master  who  had  spent  a 
long  time  in  copying  his  Emancipation  Proclamation,  had 
ornamented  it  with  flourishes,  r.nd  hich  made  him  think 
of  an  Irishra  n  who  said  it  to  >k  him  vn  hour  to  catch  his 
old  horse,  and  when  he  had  caught  him  he  was  not  worth 
a  darn ! 


Comments  of  Mr.  Lincoln  on  the  Emancipation  Proclamation  — 
What  He  Told  Mr.  Colfax. 

The  final  proclamation  was  s.gned  on  New  Year's  Day, 
1863.  The  President  remarked  to  Mr.  Colfax,  the  same 
evening,  that  the  signature  appeared  somewhat  tremulous 
and  uneven.  "Not,"  said  he,  "because  of  any  uncertainty 
or  hesitation  on  my  part;  but  it  was  just  after  the  public 
reception,  and  three  hours'  hand-shaking  is  not  calculated 
to  improve  a  man's  chirography."      Then,  changing  his 


110  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

tone,  he  added:  "The  South  had  fair  warning,  that  if  thev 
did  not  return  to  their  duty,  I  should  strike  at  this  pillar 
of  their  strength.  The  promise  must  now  be  kept,  and  I 
shall  never  recall  one  word." 


Lincoln  Arguing  Against  the  Emancipation  Proclamation  That 
He  May  Learn  all  about  It. 

"When  Lincoln's  judgment,  which  acted  slowly,  but  which 
was  almost  as  immovable  as  the  eternal  hills  when  settled, 
was  grasping  some  subject  of  importance,  the  arguments 
against  his  own  desires  seemed  uppermost  in  his  mind 
and,  in  conversing  upon  it,  he  would  present  those  argu- 
ments to  see  if  they  could  be  rebutted. 

This  is  illustrated  by  the  interview  between  himself  and 
the  Chicago  delegation  of  clergymen,  appointed  to  urge 
upon  him  the  issue  of  a  Proclamation  of  Emancipation 
which  occurred  September  13, 1S62,  more  than  a  month  after 
he  had  declared  to  the  Cabinet  his  established  purpose  to 
take  this  step. 

He  said  to  this  committee:  "I  do  not  want  to  issue  a 
document  that  the  whole  world  will  see  must  necessarily 
be  inonerative,  like  the  Pone's  bull  against  the  comet !  *' 
After  drawing  out  their  views  ipon  the  subject,  he  con- 
cluded the  interview  with  th.se  memorable  words: 

"  Do  not  misunderstand  me,  because  I  have  mentioned 
these  objections.  They  indicate  the  difficulties  which  have 
thus  far  prevented  my  action  in  some  such  way  as  you 
desire.  I  have  not  decided  against  a  proclamation  of  liberty 
to  the  slaves,  but  hold  the  matter  under  advisement.  And 
1  can  assure  you  that  the  subject  is  on  my  mind,  by  day 
and  night,  more  than  any  other.  "Whatever  shall  appear  to 
be  God's  will,  I  will  do  !  I  trust  that,  in  the  freedom  with 
which  I  have  canvassed  your  views,  I  have  not  in  any  re- 
spect injured  your  feelings." 


WHITE-HOUSE  INCIDENTS.  Ill 

Lincoln's  Laugh — What  Hon.  I.  N.  Arnold  Said  About  It. 

Mr.  Lincoln's  "  laugh  "  stood  by  itself.  The  "  neigh  "  of 
a  wild  horse  on  his  native  prairie  is  not  more  undisguised 
and  hearty.  A  group  of  gentlemen,  among  whom  was  his 
old  Springfield  friend  and  associate,  Hon.  Isaac  N .  Arnold, 
were  one  day  conversing  in  the  passage  near  his  office, 
while  awaiting  admission.  A  congressional  delegation  had 
preceded  them,  and  presently  an  unmistakable  voice  was 
heard  through  the  partition,  in  a  burst  of  mirth.  Mr. 
Arnold  remarked,  as  the  sound  died  away:  '■''That  laugh  has 
been  the  President's  life-preserver/" 


Lincoln  and  the  Newspapers. 

On  a  certain  occasion,  the  President  was  induced  by  a 
committee  of  gentlemen  to  examine  a  newly-invented 
"  repeating  "  gun,  the  peculiarity  of  which  was,  that  it  pre- 
vented the  escape  of  gas-  After  due  inspection,  he  said  : 
"  Well,  I  believe  this  really  does  what  it  is  represented  to 
do.  Now,  have  any  of  you  heard  of  any  machine  or  inven- 
tion for  preventing  the  escape  of  'gas'  from  newspaper 
establishments  ? " 


Criticism  — Its  Effect  Upon  Mr.  Lincoln  — A  Bull-frog  Story  He 

Told  as  an  Illustration. 

Violent  criticism,  attacks  and  denunciations,  coming 
either  from  radicals  or  conservatives,  rarely  ruffled  the 
President,  if  they  reached  his  ears.  It  must  have  been  in 
connection  with  something  of  this  kind,  that  he  once  told  a 
friend  this  story: 

"Some  years  ago,'  said  he,  "a  couple  of  'emigrants,' 
fresh  from  the  '  Emerald  Isle,'  seeking  labor,  were  making 
their  way  toward  the  West.     Coming  suddenly  one  evening 


lia  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

upon  a  pond  of  water,  they  were  greeted  with  a  grand 
chorus  of  bull-frogs — a  kind  of  music  they  had  never  before 
heard.     ;  B-a-u-m ! ' — B-a-u-m ! ' 

"  Overcome  with  terror,  they  clutched  their  '  shillelahs/ 
and  crept  cautiously  forward,  straining  their  eyes  in  every 
direction  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  enemy ;  but  he  was  not 
to  be  found ! 

"At  last  a  happy  idea  seized  the  foremost  one — he  sprang 
to  his  companion  and  exclaimed,  'And  sure,  Jamie !  it  is 
my  opinion  it's  nothing  but  a  '  noise  /'  " 


Lincoln's  Story  of  a  Poodle  Dog  Used  on  the  End  ot  a  Long  Pole 

to  Swab  Windows. 

A  friend  who  was  walking  over  from  the  "White  House 
to  the  War  Department  with  Mr.  Lincoln,  repeated  to  him 
the  story  of  a  "  contraband  "  who  had  fallen  into  the  hands 
of  some  good,  pious  people,  and  was  being  taught  by  them 
to  read  and  pray. 

Going  off  by  himself  one  day,  he  was  overheard  to  com- 
mence a  prayer  by  the  introduction  of  himself  as  "Jim 
Williams  —  a  berry  good  nigga'  to  wash  windows ;  'spec's 
you  know  me  now  ? " 

After  a  hearty  laugh  at  what  he  called  this  "  direct  way 
of  putting  the  case,"  Mr.  Lincoln  said  : 

"  The  story  that  suggests  to  me,  has  no  resemblance  to 
it,  save  in  the  '  washing  windows  '  part.  A  lady  in  Phila- 
delphia had  a  pet  poodle  dog,  which  mysteriously  disap- 
peared. Rewards  were  offered  for  him,  and  a  great  ado 
made  without  effect.  Some  weeks  passed,  and  all  hope  of 
the  favorite's  return  had  been  given  up,  when  a  servant 
brought  him  in  one  day  in  the  filthiest  condition  imagin- 
able. The  lady  was  overjoyed  to  see  her  pet  again,  but 
horrified  at  his  appearance. 


WHITE-HOUSE  INCIDENTS.  113 

*  Where  did  you  find  him  ?'  she  exclaimed. 
" '  Oh,'  replied  the  man,  very  unconcernedly;  '  a  negro 
down  the  street  had  him  tied  to  the  end  of  a  pole,  swabbing 
windows.'  " 


Lincoln's  Little  Speech  to  the  Union  League  Committee  —  No 
Swapping  Horses  in  the  River. 

The  day  following  the  adjournment  at  Baltimore,  various 
political  organizations  called  to  pay  their  respects  to  the 
President.  First  came  the  convention  committee,  embrac- 
ing one  from  each  state  represented — appointed  to  announce 
to  him,  formally,  the  nomination.  Next  came  the  Ohio 
delegation,  with  Menter's  Band,  of  Cincinnati.  Following 
these  were  the  representatives  of  the  National  Union 
League,  to  whom  he  said,  in  concluding  his  brief  response : 

"  I  do  not  allow  myself  to  suppose  that  either  the  con- 
vention or  the  League  have  concluded  to  decide  that  I  am 
either  the  greatest  or  the  best  man  in  America;  but,  rather, 
they  have  concluded  that  it  is  not  best  to  swap  horses  while 
crossing  the  river,  and  have  further  concluded  that  I  am  not 
so  poor  a  horse,  but  that  they  might  make  a  botch  of  it  in 
trying  to  swap!  " 


Ejecting  a  Cashiered  Officer  from  the  White  House  —  Mr. 
Lincoln  Much  Offended  and  How  He  Acted. 

Among  the  callers  at  the  White  House  one  day,  was  an 
officer  who  had  been  cashiered  from  the  service.  He  had 
prepared  an  elaborate  defence  of  himself,  which  he  con- 
sumed much  time  in  reading  to  the  President.  When  he 
had  finished,  Mr.  Lincoln  replied,  that  even  upon  his  own 
statement  of  the  case,  the  facts  would  not  warrant  executive 
interference.  Disappointed  and  considerably  crestfallen, 
the  man  withdrew. 


114  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

A  few  days  afterward  he  made  a  second  attempt  x,o  alter 
the  President's  convictions,  going  over  substantially  the 
same  ground,  and  occupying  about  the  same  space  of  time, 
but  without  accomplishing  his  end. 

The  third  time  he  succeeded  in  forcing  himself  into  Mr. 
Lincoln's  presence,  who  with  great  forbearance  listened  to 
another  repetition  of  the  case  to  its  conclusion,  but  made 
no  reply.  "Waiting  for  a  moment,  the  man  gathered  from 
the  expression  of  his  countenance  that  his  mind  was  uncon- 
vinced.    Turning  very  abruptly,  he  said  : 

"  Well,  Mr.  President,  I  see  you  are  fully  determined  not 
to  do  me  justice  !  " 

This  was  too  aggravating,  even  for  Mr.  Lincoln.  Mani- 
festing, however,  no  more  feeling  than  that  indicated  by  a 
slight  compression  of  the  lips,  he  very  quietly  arose,  laid 
down  a  package  of  papers  he  held  in  his  hand,  and  then 
suddenly  seizing  the  defunct  officer  by  the  coat-collar,  he 
marched  him  forcibly  to  the  door,  saying,  as  he  ejected  him 
into  the  passage : 

"  Sir,  I  give  you  fair  warning  never  to  show  yourself  in 
this  room  again.     I  can  bear  censure,  but  not  insult ! " 

In  a  whining  tone  the  man  begged  for  his  papers,  which 
he  had  dropped. 

"  Begone,  sir,"  said  the  President,  "  your  papers  will  be 
sent  to  you.     I  never  wish  to  see  your  face  again! " 


Lincoln  and  the  Wall  Street  Gold  Gamblers  —  He  Wishes  their 
"Devilish  Heads  Shot  Off." 

Mr.  Carpenter,  the  artist,  is  responsible  for  the  following: 
The  bill  empowering  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  to 
sell  the  surplus  gold  had  recently  passed,  and  Mr.  Chase 
was  then  in  New  York,  giving  his  attention  personally  to 
the  experiment.  Governor  Curtin  referred  to  this,  saying 
to  the  President : 


WHITE-HOUSE  INCIDENTS.  118 

"I  see  by  the  quotations  that  Chase's  movement  has 
already  knocked  gold  down  several  per  cent." 

This  gave  occasion  for  the  strongest  expression  I  ever 
heard  fall  from  the  lips  of  Mr.  Lincoln.  Knotting  his  face 
in  the  intensity  of  his  feeling,  he  said :  "  Curtin,  what  do 
you  think  of  those  fellows  in  Wall  Street,  who  are  gambling 
in  gold  at  such  a  time  as  this  ? " 

"They  are  a  set  of  sharks,"  returned  Curtin. 

"For  my  part,"  continued  the  President,  bringing  his 
clinched  hand  down  upon  the  table,  "  I  wish  every  one  of 
them  had  his  devilish  head  shot  off!" 


How  the  Negroes  Regarded  "  Massa  Linkum  "  —  A  Story  that 
Deeply  Impressed  the  President. 

In  1863,  Colonel  McKaye,  of  New  York,  with  Robert 
Dale  Owen  and  one  or  two  other  gentlemen,  were  associ- 
ated as  a  committee  to  investigate  the  condition  of  the 
freedmen  on  the  coast  of  North  Carolina.  Upon  their  re- 
turn from  Hilton  Head  they  reported  to  the  President;  and 
in  the  course  of  the  interview  Colonel  McKaye  related  the 
following  incident: 

He  had  been  speaking  of  the  ideas  of  power  entertained 
by  these  people.  He  said  they  had  an  idea  of  God,  as  the 
Almighty,  and  they  had  realized  in  their  former  condition 
the  power  of  their  masters.  Up  to  the  time  of  the  arrival 
among  them  of  the  Union  forces,  they  had  no  knowledge  of 
any  other  power.  Their  masters  fled  upon  the  approach  of 
our  soldiers,  and  this  gave  the  slaves  a  conception  of  a 
power  greater  than  that  exercised  by  them.  This  power 
they  called  "  Massa  Linkum." 

Colonel  McKaye  said  that  their  place  of  worship  was  a 
large  building  which  they  called  "  the  praise  house  : "  and 
the  leader  of  the  meeting,  a  venerable  black   man,  was 


11«  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

known  as  "  the  praise  man."  On  a  certain  day,  when  there 
was  quite  a  large  gathering  of  the  people,  considerable  con- 
fusion was  created  by  different  persons  attempting  to  tell 
who  and  what  "  Massa  Linkuin  "  was.  In  the  midst  of  the 
excitement  the  white-headed  leader  commanded  silence. 

"  Brederin,"  said  he,  "  you  don't  know  nosen'  what  you'se 
talkin'  'bout.  Now,  you  just  listen  to  me.  Massa  Linkum, 
he  eberywhar.  He  know  eberyting."  Then,  solemnly 
looking  up,  he  added, — "  He  walk  cle  earf  like  de  Lord  /" 

Colonel  Mclvaye  said  that  Mr.  Lincoln  seemed  much 
affected  by  this  account.  He  did  not  smile,  as  another 
man  might  have  done,  but  got  up  from  his  chair  and  walked 
in  silence  two  or  three  times  across  the  floor.  As  he 
resumed  his  seat,  he  said  very  impressively: 

"  It  is  a  momentous  thing  to  be  the  instrument,  under 
Providence,  of  the  liberation  of  a  race." 


One  of  Lincoln's  Last  Stories. 

One  of  the  last  stories  heard  from  Mr.  Lincoln  was  con- 
cerning John  Tyler,  for  whom  it  was  to  be  expected,  as  an 
old  Henry  Clay  "Whig,  he  would  entertain  no  great  respect. 
"  A  year  or  two  after  Tyler's  accession  to  the  Presidency," 
said  he,  "  contemplating  an  excursion  in  some  direction,  his 
son  went  to  order  a  special  train  of  cars.  It  so  happened 
that  the  railroad  superintendent  was  a  very  strong  AVhig. 
On  '  Bob's  '  making  known  his  errand,  that  official  bluntly 
informed  him  that  his  road  did  not  run  any  special  trains 
for  the  President. 

" '  What!'  said  '  Bob,'  '  did  you  not  furnish  a  special  train 
for  the  funeral  of  General  Harrison?' 

"'Yes,'  said  the  superintendent,  stroking  his  whiskers; 
5  and  if  you  will  only  bring  your  father  here  in  that  shape, 
you  shall  have  the  best  train  on  the  road!'  " 


WRITE- HOUSE  INCIDENTS.  117 

Lincoln's  Habits  in  the  Whit©  House— The  Same  "Old  Abe"— A 

Laughable  Glove  Story. 

Mr.  Lincoln's  habits  at  the  White  House  were  as  simple 
as  they  were  at  his  old  home  in  Illinois.  He  never  alluded 
to  himself  as  "  President,"  or  as  occupying  "  the  Presi- 
dency." His  office,  he  always  designated  as  "  this  place." 
"  Call  me  Lincoln,"  said  he  to  a  friend — "  Mr.  President  " 
had  become  so  very  tiresome  to  him.  "  If  you  see  a  news- 
boy down  the  street,  send  him  up  this  way,"  said  he  to  a 
passenger,  as  he  stood  waiting  for  the  morning  news  at  his 
gate.  Friends  cautioned  him  against  exposing  himself  so 
openly  in  the  midst  of  enemies;  but  he  never  heeded 
them.  He  frequently  walked  the  streets  at  night,  entirely 
unprotected;  and  he  felt  any  check  upon  his  free  move- 
ments as  a  great  annoyance.  He  delighted  to  see  his  famil- 
iar Western  friends;  and  he  gave  them  always  a  cordial 
welcome.  He  met  them  on  the  old  footing,  and  fell  at  once 
into  the  accustomed  habits  of  talk  and  story-telling. 

An  old  acquaintance,  with  his  wife,  visited  Washington. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lincoln  proposed  to  these  friends  a  ride  in  the 
Presidential  carriage.  It  should  be  stated,  in  advance,  that 
the  two  men  had  probably  never  seen  each  other  with  gloves 
on  in  their  lives,  unless  when  they  were  used  as  protection 
from  the  cold. 

The  question  of  each — Mr.  Lincoln  at  the  White  House, 
and  his  friend  at  the  hotel — was,  whether  he  should  wear 
gloves.  Of  course,  the  ladies  urged  gloves;  but  Mr.  Lin- 
coln only  put  his  in  his  pocket,  to  be  used  or  not,  according 
to  circumstances. 

When  the  Presidential  party  arrived  at  the  hotel,  to  take 
in  their  friends,  they  found  the  gentleman,  overcome  by  his 
wife's  persuasions,  very  handsomely  gloved.  The  moment 
he  took  his  seat,  he  began  to  draw  off  the  clinging  kids, 
while  Mr.  Lincoln  began  to  draw  his  onl 


118  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

"  No !  no  !  no ! "  protested  his  friend,  tugging  at  his 
gloves.  "  It  is  none  of  my  doings;  put  up  your  gloves,  Mr. 
Lincoln." 

So  the  two  old  friends  were  on  even  and  easy  terms,  and 
had  their  ride  after  their  old  fashion. 


Lincoln's  High  Compliment  to  the  Women  of  America. 

A  Fair  for  the  benefit  of  the  soldiers,  held  at  the  Patent 
Office,  in  Washington,  called  out  Mr.  Lincoln  as  an  inter- 
ested visitor;  and  he  was  not  permitted  to  retire  without 
giving  a  word  to  those  in  attendance.  "  In  this  extraordi- 
nary war,"  said  he,  "  extraordinary  developments  have  man- 
ifested themselves,  such  as  have  not  been  seen  in  former 
wars;  and  among  these  manifestations  nothing  has  been 
more  remarkable  than  these  fairs  for  the  relief  of  suffering 
soldiers  and  their  families.  And  the  chief  agents  in  these 
fairs  are  the  women  of  America.  I  am  not  accustomed  to 
the  use  of  language  of  eulogy;  I  have  never  studied  the  art 
of  paying  compliments  to  women ;  but  I  must  say  that  if 
all  that  has  been  said  by  orators  and  poets,  since  the  crea- 
tion of  the  world,  in  praise  of  women,  were  applied  to  the 
women  of  America,  it  would  not  do  them  justice  for  their 
conduct  during  the  war.  I  will  close  by  saying,  God  bless 
the  women  of  America  ! " 


Lincoln  in  the  Hour  of  Deep    Sorrow— He  Recalls  His  Mother's 

Prayers. 

In  February,  1862,  Mr.  Lincoln  was  visited  by  a  severe 
affliction  in  the  death  of  his  beautiful  son,  Willie,  and  the 
extreme  illness  of  his  son,  Thomas,  familiarly  called  "  Tad." 
This  was  a  new  burden,  and  the  visitation  which,  in  his  firm 
faith  in  Providence,  he  regarded  as  providential,  was  also 


WHITE-HOUSE  INCIDENTS.  119 

inexplicable.  A  Christian  lady  from  Massachusetts,  who 
was  officiating  as  nurse  in  one  of  the  hospitals  at  the  time, 
came  to  attend  the  sick  children.  She  reports  that  Mr. 
Lincoln  watched  with  her  about  the  bedside  of  the  sick 
ones,    and  that  he  often   walked  the  room,  saying,  sadly: 

"This  is  the  hardest  trial  of  mv  life;  why  is  it?  Why 
is  it? " 

In  the  course  of  conversations  with  her,  he  questioned 
her  concerning  his  situation.  She  told  Him  that  she  was  a 
widow,  and  that  her  husband  and  two  children  were  in 
heaven;  and  added  that  she  saw  the  hand  of  God  in  it  all, 
and  that  she  had  never  loved  Him  so  much  before  as  she 
had  since  her  affliction. 

"  How  is  that  brought  about?  "  inquired  Mr.  Lincoln. 

"  Simply  by  trusting  in  God,  and  feeling  that  He  does  all 
things  well,"  she  replied. 

"  Did  you  submit  fully  under  the  first  loss?"  he  asked. 

"No,"  she  answered,  "not  wholly;  but,  as  blow  came 
upon  blow,  and  all  were  taken,  I  could  and  did  submit,  and 
was  very  happy." 

He  responded:  "  I  am  glad  to  hear  you  say  that.  Your 
experience  will  help  me  to  bear  my  affliction." 

On  being  assured  that  many  Christians  were  praying  for 
him  on  the  morning  of  the  funeral,  he  wiped  away  the 
tears  that  sprang  in  his  eyes,  and  said: 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  that.  I  want  them  to  pray  for  me. 
I  need  their  prayers." 

As  he  was  going  out  to  the  burial,  the  good  lady  expressed 
her  sympathy  with  him.     He  thanked  her  gently,  and  said: 

"  I  will  try  to  go  to  God  with  my  sorrows." 

A  few  days  afterward,  she  asked  him  if  he  could  trust 
God.     He  replied: 

"  I  think  I  can,  and  I  will  try.  I  wish  I  had  that  child- 
like faith  you  speak  of,  and  I  trust  He  will  give  it  to  me." 


120  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

And  then  he  spoke  of  his  mother,  whom  so  many  years 
before  he  had  committed  to  the  dust  among  the  wilds  of 
Indiana.  In  this  hour  of  his  great  trial,  the  memory  of 
her  who  had  held  him  upon  her  bosom,  and  soothed  his 
childish  griefs,  came  back  to  him  with  tenderest  recollec- 
tions. '*  I  remember  her  prayers,"  said  he,  "and  they 
have  always  followed  ??ie.     They  have  clung  to  me  all  my 


A  Praying  President  —  "Prayer  and  Praise." 

After  the  second  defeat  at  Bull  Run,  Mr.  Lincoln  appeared 
very  much  distressed  about  the  number  of  killed  and 
wounded,  and  said  to  a  lady  friend  :  "  I  have  done  the  best 
I  could.  I  have  asked  God  to  guide  me,  and  now  I  must 
leave  the  event  with  him." 

On  another  occasion,  having  been  made  acquainted  with 
the  fact  that  a  great  battle  was  in  progress,  at  a  distant  but 
important  point,  he  came  into  the  room  where  this  lady 
was  engaged  in  nursing  a  member  of  the  family,  looking 
worn  and  haggard,  and  saying  that  he  was  so  anxious  that 
he  could  eat  nothing.  The  possibility  of  defeat  depressed 
him  greatly  ;  but  the  lady  told  him  he  must  trust,  and  that 
he  could  at  least  pray. 

"  Yes,"  said  he,  and  taking  up  a  Bible,  he  started  for  his 
room. 

Could  all  the  people  of  the  nation  have  overheard  the 
earnest  petition  that  went  up  from  that  inner  chamber,  as 
it  reached  the  ears  of  the  nurse,  they  would  have  fallen 
upon  their  knees  with  tearful  and  reverential  sympathy. 

At  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  a  telegram  reached  him 
announcing  a  Union  victory  ;  and  then  he  came  directly  to 
the  room,  his  face  beaming  with  joy,  saying : 


WHITE-HOUSE  INCIDENTS.  121 

"  Good  news  !  Good  news  !  The  victory  is  ours,  and 
God  is  good." 

"  Nothing  like  prayer,"  suggested  the  pious  lady,  who 
traced  a  direct  connection  between  the  event  and  the  prayer 
which  preceded  it. 

"  Yes,  there  is,"  he  replied — "praise — prayer  and  praise." 

The  good  lady  who  communicates  these  incidents,  closes 
them  with  the  words  :  y  I  do  believe  he  was  a  true  Christian, 
though  he  had  very  little  confidence  in  himself." 


Telling  a  Story  and  Pardoning  a  Soldier — How  Lincoln  did  Both. 

General  Fisk  attending  the  reception  at  the  White  House, 
on  one  occasion  saw,  waiting  in  the  ante-room,  a  poor  old 
man  from  Tennessee.  Sitting  down  beside  him,  he  inquired 
his  errand,  and  learned  that  he  had  been  waiting  three  or 
four  davs  to  get  an  audience,  and  that  on  his  seeing  Mr. 
Lincoln  probably  depended  the  life  of  his  son,  who  was 
under  sentence  of  death  for  some  military  offense. 

General  Fisk  wrote  his  case  in  outline  on  a  card,  and 
sent  it  in,  with  a  special  request  that  the  President  would 
see  the  man.  In  a  moment  the  order  came  ;  and  past  sen- 
ators, governors  and  generals,  waiting  impatiently,  the  old 
man  went  into  the  President's  presence. 

He  showed  Mr.  Lincoln  his  papers,  and  he,  on  taking 
them,  said  he  would  look  into  the  case  and  give  him  the 
result  on  the  following  day. 

The  old  man,  in  an  agony  of  apprehension,  looked  up 
into  the  President's  sympathetic  face,  and  actually  cried  out: 

"  To-morrow  may  be  too  late  !  My  son  is  under  sentence 
of  death  !  The  decision  ought  to  be  made  now  !  "  and  the 
streaming  tears  told  how  much  he  was  moved. 

"  Come,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln,  "  wait  a  bit,  and  I'll  tell  you 


122  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

a  story;"  and  then  he  told  the  old  man  General  Fisk's 
story  about  the  swearing  driver,  as  follows: 

The  General  had  begun  his  military  life  as  a  Colonel,  and, 
when  he  raised  his  regiment  in  Missouri,  he  proposed  to 
his  men  that  he  should  do  all  the  swearing  of  the  regiment. 
They  assented  ;  and  for  months  no  instance  was  known  of 
the  violation  of  the  promise.  The  Colonel  had  a  teamster 
named  John  Todd,  who,  as  roads  were  not  always  the  best, 
had  some  difficulty  in  commanding  his  temper  and  his 
tongue.  John  happened  to  be  driving  a  mule-team  through 
a  series  of  mud-holes  a  little  worse  than  usual,  when,  unable 
to  restrain  himself  any  longer,  he  burst  forth  into  a  volley 
of  energetic  oaths.  The  Colonel  took  notice  of  the  offense, 
and  brought  John  to  an  account. 

"John,"  said  he,  "  didn't  you  promise  to  let  me  do  all 
the  swearing  of  the  regiment  ? " 

"Yes,  I  did,  Colonel,"  he  replied,  "  but  the  fact  was  the 
swearing  had  to  be  done  then  or  not  at  all,  and  you  weren't 
there  to  do  it." 

As  he  told  the  story,  the  old  man  forgot  his  boy,  and 
both  the  President  and  his  listener  had  a  hearty  laugh  to- 
gether at  its  conclusion.  Then  he  wrote  a  few  words  which 
the  old  man  read,  and  in  which  he  found  new  occasion  for 
tears;  but  the  tears  were  tears  of  joy,  for  the  words  saved 
the  life  of  his  son. 


In  all  the  great  emergencies  of  his  closing  years,  Mr. 
Lincoln's  reliance  upon  Divine  guidance  and  assistance  was 
often  extremely  touching. 

"  I  have  been  driven  many  times  to  my  knees,"  he  once 
remarked,  "  by  the  overwhelming  conviction  that  I  had  no- 
where else  to  go.  My  own  wisdom,  and  that  of  all  about 
me,  seemed  insufficient  for  that  day." 


aAK^V 


THE  NATIONAL  LINCOLN  MONUMENT. 
In  Oak  Ridge  Cemetery,  at  Sprinefield,  111.  The  base  of  this  monument  is  72%  ft. 
square,  and  with  the  circular  projection  of  the  catacomb  on  the  north,  and  memorial 
hall  on  the  south,  the  extreme  leneth  on  the  ground  from  north  to  south  is  119J<  ft. 
Height  of  terrace.  15  ft.  and  10  in.  From  the  terrace  to  the  apex  of  the  obelisk,  82  ft. 
614  in.  From  the  grade  line  to  the  top  of  the  four  round  pedestals,  28  ft.  4  in.,  and  to 
the  top  of  the  pedastal  of  the  Lincoln  Statue,  35^  ft.  Total  height  from  ground  Una 
to  apex  of  obelisk,  98  a.  4J£  in.    Total  expense  of  erection,  about  $200,000; 


WAR  STORIES.  125 


WAR    STORIES. 


Lincoln's  War  Story  of  Andy  Johnson. — Andy  Seeks  a  Doubtful 
Interest  in  Col.  Moody's  Prayers. 

Col.  Moody,  "  the  fighting  Methodist  parson,"  as  he  was 
called  in  Tennessee,  while  attending  a  conference  in  Phila- 
delphia, met  the  President  and  related  to  him  the  following 
story,  which  we  give  as  repeated  by  Mr.  Lincoln  to  a  friend : 

"  He  told  me,"  said  Lincoln,  "  this  story  of  Andy  John- 
son and  General  Buel,  which  interested  me  intensely.  The 
Colonel  happened  to  be  in  Nashville  the  day  it  was  reported 
that  Buel  had  decided  to  evacuate  the  city.  The  Eebels, 
strongly  re-enforced,  were  said  to  be  within  two  days'  march 
of  the  capital.  Of  course,  the  city  was  greatly  excited. 
Moody  said  he  went  in  search  of  Johnson,  at  the  edge  of 
the  evening,  and  found  him  at  his  office,  closeted  with  two 
gentlemen,  who  were  walking  the  floor  with  him,  one  on 
each  side.  As  he  entered  they  retired,  leaving  him  alone 
with  Johnson,  who  came  up  to  him,  manifesting  intense 
feeling,  and  said,  '  Moody,  we  are  sold  out!  Buel  is  a 
traitor!  He  is  going  to  evacuate  the  city,  and  in  forty- 
eiffht  hours  we  will  all  be  in  the  hands  of  the  Kebels!' 
Then  he  commenced  pacing  the  floor  again,  twisting  his 
hands,  and  chafing  like  a  caged  tiger,  utterly  insensible  to 
his  friend's  entreaties  to  become  calm.  Suddenly  he  turned 
and  said: 

"  '  Moody,  can  you  pray?' 

"  '  That  is  my  business,  sir,  as  a  minister  of  the  Gospel,' 
returned  the  Colonel. 

u  i  Well,  Moody,  1  wish  you  would  pray,'  said  Johnson ; 


126  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

and  instantly  both  went  down  upon  their  knees,  at  opposite 
sides  of  the  room. 

As  the  prayer  waxed  fervent,  Johnson  began  to  respond 
in  true  Methodist  style.  Presently  he  crawled  over  on  his 
hands  and  knees  to  Moody's  side,  and  put  his  arm  over 
him,  manifesting  the  deepest  emotion.  Closing  the  prayer 
with  a  hearty  '  Amen '  from  each,  they  arose. 

"Johnson  took  a  long  breath,  and  said,  with  emphasis, 
'  Moody,  I  feel  better  ! '  Shortly  afterwards  he  asked, 
'  Will  you  stand  by  me  ? ' 

"  '  Certainly,  I  will,'  was  the  answer. 

"  '  Well,  Moody,  I  can  depend  upon  you ;  you  are  one 
in  a  hundred  thousand  ! '  He  then  commenced  pacing 
the  floor  again.  Suddenly  he  wheeled,  the  current  of  his 
thought  having  changed,  and  said,  '  Oh  !  Moody,  I  don't 
want  you  to  think  I  have  become  a  religious  man  because 
I  asked  you  to  pray.  I  am  sorry  to  say  it,  but  I  am  not, 
an  1  have  never  pretended  to  be,  religious.  No  one  knows 
this  better  than  you  ;  but,  Moody,  there  is  one  thing  about 
it — I  do  believe  in  Almighty  God  !     And  I  believe  also 

in  the  Bible,  and  I  say  d n  me,  if  Nashville  shall  be 

surrendered  ! '" 

And  Nashville  was  not  surrendered. 


A  Soldier  that  Knew  no  Royalty. 

Captain  Mix,  the  commander,  at  one  period,  of  the  Pres- 
ident's body-guard,  told  this  story  to  a  friend: 

On  their  way  to  town  one  sultry  morning,  from  the 
Soldier's  Home,  they  came  upon  a  regiment  marching  into 
the  city.  A  "  straggler,"  very  heavily  loaded  with  camp 
equipage,  was  accosted  by  the  President  with  the  question: 

"  My  lad,  what  is  that?"  referring  to  the  designation  of 
his  regiment. 


WAR  STORIES.  127 

"  It's  a  regiment,"  said  the  soldier,  curtly,  plodding  on, 
his  gaze  beat  steadily  upon  the  ground. 

"  Yes,  I  see  that,"  rejoined  the  President,  "  but  I  want  to 
know  what  regiment." 

" Pennsylvania,"  replied  the  man  in  the  same  tone, 

looking  neither  to  the  right  nor  the  left. 

As  the  carriage  passed  on,  Mr.  Lincoln  turned  to  Captain 
Mix  and  said,  with  a  merry  laugh,  "  It  is  very  evident  that 
chap  smells  no  blood  of  '  royalty  '  in  this  establishment." 


A  Little  Soldier  Boy  that  Lincoln  Wanted  to  Bow  to. 

"  President  Lincoln,"  says  the  Hon.  W.  D.  Kell,  "  was  a 
large  and  many-sided  man,  and  yet  so  simple  that  no  one, 
not  even  a  child,  could  approach  him  without  feeling  that 
he  had  found  in  him  a  sympathizing  friend.  I  remember 
that  I  apprised  him  of  the  fact  that  a  lad,  the  son  of  one  ot 
my  townsmen,  had  served  a  year  on  board  the  gunboat 
Ottawa,  and  had  been  in  two  important  engagements;  in 
the  first  as  a  powder-monkey,  when  he  had  conducted  him- 
self with  such  coolness  that  he  had  been  chosen  as  captain's 
messenger  in  the  second;  and  I  suggested  to  the  President 
that  it  was  in  his  power  to  send  to  the  Naval  School,  an- 
nually, three  boys  who  had  served  at  least  a  year  in  the 
navy. 

"  He  at  once  wrote  on  the  back  of  a  letter  from  the  com- 
mander of  the  Ottawa,  which  I  had  handed  him,  to  the 
Secretary  of  the  Navy:  '  If  the  appointments  for  this  year 
have  not  been  made,  let  this  boy  be  appointed.'  The  ap- 
pointment had  not  been  made,  and  I  brought  it  home  with 
me.  It  directed  the  lad  to  report  for  examination  at  the 
school  in  July.  J  ust  as  he  was  ready  to  start,  his  father, 
looking  over  the  law,  discovered  that  he  could  not  report 
until  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age,  which  he  would  not  be 


128  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

until  September  following.  The  poor  child  sat  down  and 
wept.  He  feared  that  he  was  not  to  go  to  the  Naval  School. 
He  was,  however,  soon  consoled  by  being  told  that  '  the 
President  could  make  it  right.'  It  was  my  fortune  to  meet 
him  the  next  morning  at  the  door  of  the  Executive  Cham- 
ber with  his  father. 

"  Taking  by  the  hand  the  little  fellow — short  for  his  age, 
dressed  in  the  sailor's  blue  pants  and  shirt — I  advanced  with 
him  to  the  President,  who  sat  in  his  usual  seat,  and  said: 

"'  Mr.  President,  my  young  friend,  Willie  Bladen,  finds 
a  difficulty  about  his  appointment.  You  have  directed  him 
to  appear  at  the  school  in  July;  but  he  is  not  yet  fourteen 
years  of  age.'  But  before  I  got  half  of  this  out,  Mr.  Lin- 
coln, laving  down  his  spectacles,  rose  and  said : 

"  '  Bless  me!  is  that  the  boy  who  did  so  gallantly  in  those 
two  great  battles?  Why,  I  feel  that  I  should  bow  to  him, 
and  not  he  to  me.'  The  little  fellow  had  made  his  grace- 
ful bow. 

"  The  President  took  the  papers  at  once,  and  as  soon  as 
he  learned  that  a  postponement  until  September  would  suf- 
fice, made  the  order  that  the  lad  should  report  in  that 
month.     Then  putting  his  hand  on  Willie's  head,  he  said: 

" '  Now,  my  boy,  go  home  and  have  good  fun  during  the 
two  months,  for  they  are  about  the  last  holiday  you  will 
get.'  The  little  fellow  bowed  himself  out,  feeling  that  the 
President  of  the  United  States,  though  a  very  great  man, 
was  one  that  he  would  nevertheless  like  to  have  a  game  of 
romps  with." 


The  Story  of  Sallie  Ward's  Practical  Philosophy. 

When  the  telegram  from  Cumberland  Gap  reached  Mr. 
Lincoln  that  "  firing  was  heard  in  the  direction  of  Knox- 
ville,"  he  remarked  that  he  "  was  glad  of  it."     Some  per- 


WAR  STORIES.  130 

son  present,  who  had  the  perils  of  Burnside's  position 
uppermost  in  his  mind,  could  not  see  why  Mr.  Lincoln 
should  be  glad  of  it,  and  so  expressed  himself. 

"  Why,  you  see,"  responded  the  President,  "  it  reminds 
me  of  Mrs.  Sallie  Ward,  a  neighbor  of  mine,  who  had 
a  very  large  family.  Occasionally  one  of  her  numerous 
progeny  would  be  heard  crying  in  some  out-of-the-way 
place,  upon  which  Mrs.  Ward  would  exclaim: 

'  There's  one  of  my  children  that  isn't  dead  yet'  " 


Lincoln  While  in  Bed  Pardons  a  Soldier. 

The  Hon.  Mr.  Kellogg,  representative  from  Essex  County, 
New  York,  received  a  dispatch  one  evening  from  the  army, 
to  the  effect  that  a  young  townsman,  who  had  been  induced 
to  enlist  through  his  instrumentality,  had,  for  a  serious 
misdemeanor,  been  convicted  by  a  court-martial,  and  was 
to  be  shot  the  next  day.  Greatly  agitated,  Mr.  Kellogg 
went  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  and  urged,  in  the  strongest 
manner,  a  reprieve.     Stanton  was  inexorable. 

"Too  many  cases  of  the  kind  had  been  let  off,"  he  said, 
"and  it  was  time  an  example  was  made." 

Exhausting  his  eloquence  in  vain,  Mr.  Kellogg  said: 
"  Well,  Mr.  Secretary,  the  boy  is  not  going  to  be  shot — of 
that  I  give  you  fair  warning!  " 

Leaving  the  War  Department,  he  went  directly  to  the 
White  House,  although  the  hour  was  late.  The  sentinel 
on  duty  told  him  that  special  orders  had  been  issued  to 
admit  no  one  whatever  that  night.  After  a  long  parley,  by 
pledging  himself  to  assume  the  responsibility  of  the  act, 
the  congressman  passed  in.  The  President  had  retired,  but, 
indifferent  to  etiquette  or  ceremony,  Judge  Kellogg  pressed 
his  way  through  all  obstacles  to  his  sleeping  apartment. 


130  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

In  an  excited  manner  he  stated  that  the  dispatch  announc- 
ing the  hour  of  execution  had  but  just  reached  him. 

"This  man  must  not  be  shot,  Mr.  President,"  said  he. 
"  I  can't  help  what  he  may  have  done.  Why,  he  is  an  old 
neighbor  of  mine;  I  can't  allow  him  to  be  shot!  " 

Mr.  Lincoln  had  remained  in  bed,  quietly,  listening  to  the 
vehement  protestations  of  his  old  friend  (they  were  in  Con- 
gress together).  He  at  length  said:  "  Well,  I  don't  believe 
shooting  him  will  do  him  any  good.  Give  me  that  pen." 
And,  so  saying,  "red  tape"  was  unceremoniously  cut,  and 
another  poor  fellow's  lease  of  life  was  indefinitely  extended. 


What  Lincoln  Considered  the   "  Great  Event   of   the  Nineteenth 
Century." — Lincoln's  Vow  Before  God. 

The  following  incident,  remarkable  for  its  significant 
facts,  is  related  by  Mr.  Carpenter,  the  artist  : 

Mr.  Chase,  says  Mr.  Carpenter,  told  me  that  at  the 
Cabinet  meeting  immediately  after  the  battle  of  Antietam, 
and  just  prior  to  the  issue  of  the  September  proclamation, 
the  President  entered  upon  the  business  before  them,  by 
saying  that  "  the  time  for  the  annunciation  of  the  emanci- 
pation policy  could  be  no  longer  delayed.  Public  senti- 
ment would  sustain  it — many  of  his  warmest  friends  and 
supporters  demanded  it — and  he  had  promised  his  God  he 
would  do  it  !  "  The  last  part  of  this  was  uttered  in  a  low 
tone,  and  appeared  to  be  heard  by  no  one  but  Secretary 
Chase,  who  was  sitting  near  him.  He  asked  the  President 
if  he  correctly  understood  him.  Mr.  Lincoln  replied  :  "  1 
made  a  solemn  vow  before  God  that  if  Gen.  Lee  was  driven 
back  from  Pennsylvania,  I  would  crown  the  result  by  the 
declaration  of  freedom  to  the  slaves?'' 

In  February,  1865,  a  few  days  after  the  Constitutional 
Amendment,  I  went  to  Washington,  and  was  received  by 


WAR  STORIES.  131 

Mr.  Lincoln  with  the  kindness  and  familiarity  which  had 
characterized  our  previous  intercourse.  I  said  to  him  at 
this  time  that  I  was  very  proud  to  have  been  the  artist  to 
have  first  conceived  of  the  design  of  painting  a  picture 
commemorative  of  the  Act  of  Emancipation  ;  that  sub- 
sequent occurrences  had  only  confirmed  my  own  first  judg- 
ment of  that  act  as  the  most  sublime  moral  event  in  our 
history.  "  Yes,"  said  he, — and  never  do  I  remember  to 
have  noticed  in  him  more  earnestness  of  expression  or 
manner, — "  as  affairs  have  turned,  it  is  the  central  act  of 
my  administration,  and  the  great  event  of  the  nineteenth 
century." 


Lincoln  Proposes  to  "  Borrow  the  Army"  from  one  of  his  Generals. 

On  a  certain  occasion  the  President  said  to  a  friend  that 
he  was  in  great  distress;  he  had  been  to  General  McClel- 
lan's  house,  and  the  General  did  not  ask  to  see  him;  and  as 
he  must  talk  to  somebody,  he  had  sent  for  General  Frank- 
lin and  myself,  to  obtain  our  opinion  as  to  the  possibility  of 
soon  commencing  active  operations  with  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac.  To  use  his  own  expression,  if  something  was 
not  soon  done,  the  bottom  would  fall  out  of  the  whole 
affair;  and  if  General  McClellan  did  not  want  to  use  the 
army,  he  would  like  to  borrow  it,  provided  he  could  see 
how  it  could  be  made  to  do  something. 


Lincoln  Could   not  Allow  a  Soldier  to   be  More  Polite  than 

Himself. 

I  was  always  touched,  says  Mr.  Carpenter,  by  the  Presi- 
dent's manner  of  receiving  the  salute  of  the  guard  at  the 
White  House.  Whenever  he  appeared  in  the  portico,  on 
his  way  to  or  from  the  War  or  Treasury  Department,  or  on 
any  excursion  down  the  avenue,   the  first  glimpse  of  him 


133  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

was,   of  course,    the    signal   for   the   sentinel    on  duty  to 
M  present  arms,"  and  "  call  out  the  guard." 

This  was  always  acknowledged  by  Mr.  Lincoln  with  a 
peculiar  bow  and  touch  of  the  hat,  no  matter  how  many 
times  it  might  occur  in  the  course  of  a  day  ;  and  it  always 
seemed  to  me  as  much  a  compliment  to  the  devotion  of  the 
soldiers,  on  his  part,  as  it  was  the  sign  of  duty  and  deference 
on  the  part  of  the  guard. 


An  Interesting  Visit  to  the  Hospitals — How  the  Soldiers  Received 

Him — He  Meets  a  Wounded  Confederate  who  Asks  His 

Pardon — The  President  Weeps. 

"  On  the  Monday  before  the  assassination,  when  the  Presi- 
dent was  on  his  return  from  Richmond,  he  stopped  at  City 
Point.  Calling  upon  the  head  surgeon  at  that  place,  Mr. 
Lincoln  told  him  that  he  wished  to  visit  all  the  hospitals 
under  his  charge,  and  shake  hands  with  every  soldier.  The 
surgeon  asked  if  he  knew  what  he  was  undertaking,  there 
being  five  or  six  thousand  soldiers  at  that  place,  and  it 
would  be  quite  a  tax  upon  his  strength  to  visit  all  the  wards 
and  shake  hands  with  every  soldier.  Mr.  Lincoln  answered, 
with  a  smile,  he  'guessed  he  was  equal  to  the  task;  at  any 
rate  he  would  try,  and  go  as  far  as  he  could;  he  should 
never,  probably,  see  the  boys  again,  and  he  wanted  them  to 
know  that  he  appreciated  what  they  had  done  for  their 
country.' 

"  Finding  it  useless  to  try  to  dissuade  him,  the  surgeon 
began  his  rounds  with  the  President,  wh»>  walked  from  bed 
to  bed,  extending  his  hand  to  all,  saying  a  few  words  of 
sympathy  to  some,  making  kind  inquiries  of  others,  and 
welcomed  by  all  with  the  heartiest  cordiality. 

"As  they  passed  along,  they  came  to  a  ward  in  which 
lay  a  rebel  who  had  been  wounded  and  was  a  prisoner.     As 


WAR  STORIES.  13S 

the  tall  figure  of  the  kindly  visitor  appeared  in  sight,  lie 
was  recognized  by  the  rebel  soldier,  who,  raising  himself  on 
his  elbow  in  bed,  watched  Mr.  Lincoln  as  he  approached, 
and  extending  his  hand  exclaimed,  while  tears  ran  down 
his  cheeks, — 

" '  Mr.  Lincoln,  I  have  long  wanted  to  see  you,  to  ask 
your  forgiveness  for  ever  raising  my  hand  against  the  old 
flag.' 

'•  Mr.  Lincoln  was  moved  to  tears.  He  heartily  shook 
the  hand  of  the  repentant  rebel,  and  assured  him  of  his 
good -will,  and  with  a  few  words  of  kind  advice  passed  on. 
"After  some  hours  the  tour  of  the  various  hospitals  was 
made,  and  Mr.  Lincoln  returned  with  the  surgeon  to  his 
office.  They  had  scarcely  entered,  however,  when  a  mes- 
senger came  saying  that  one  ward  had  been  omitted,  and 
1  the  boys  '  wanted  to  see  the  President.  The  surgeon,  who 
was  thoroughly  tired,  and  knew  Mr.  Lincoln  must  be,  tried 
to  dissuade  him  from  going;  but  the  good  man  said  he 
must  go  back;  he  would  not  knowingly  omit  one,  'the 
boys '  would  be  so  disappointed.  So  he  went  with  the  mes- 
senger, accompanied  by  the  surgeon,  and  shook  hands  with 
the  gratified  soldiers,  and  then  returned  again  to  the  office. 

"  The  surgeon  expressed  the  fear  that  the  President's 
arm  would  be  lamed  with  so  much  hand-shaking,  saying 
that  it  certainly  must  ache.  Mr.  Lincoln  smiled,  and  say. 
ing  something  about  his  '  strong  muscles,'  stepped  out  at 
the  open  door,  took  up  a  very  large,  heavy  axe  wlaich  lay 
there  by  a  log  of  wood,  and  chopped  vigorously  for  a  few 
moments,  sending  the  chips  flying  in  all  directions;  and 
then,  pausing,  he  extended  his  right  arm  to  its  full  length, 
holding  the  axe  out  horizontally,  without  its  even  quivering 
as  he  held  it.  Strong  men  who  looked  on — men  accus- 
tomed to  manual  labor — could  not  hold  the  same  axe  in 
that  position  for  a  moment.     Returning  to  the  office,  he 


184  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

took  a  glass  of  lemonade,  for  he  would  take  no  stronger 
beverage;  and  while  he  was  within,  the  chips  he  had 
chopped  were  gathered  up  and  safely  cared  for  by  a  hospital 
steward,  because  they  were  '  the  chips  that  Father  Abraham 
chopped.'  " 


Mr.  Lincoln  and  a  Clergyman. 

At  the  semi-annual  meeting  of  the  New  Jersey  Histor- 
ical Society,  held  recently  in  Newark,  N.  J.,  Rev.  Dr. 
Sheldon,  of  Princeton,  read  a  memorial  of  their  late  Presi- 
dent, Rev.  R.  K.  Rodgers,  D.D.,  in  which  appears  the  fol- 
lowing fresh  incident  concerning  Mr.  Lincoln  and  the  war: 

"  One  day  during  the  war,  Dr.  Rodgers  was  called  on  by 
a  man  in  his  congregation,  who,  in  the  greatest  distress, 
told  him  that  his  son,  a  soldier  in  the  army,  had  just  been 
sentenced  to  be  shot  for  desertion,  and  begged  the  minister's 
interposition.  The  Doctor  went  to  Washington  with  the 
wife  and  infant  child  of  the  condemned  man,  and  sent  his 
card  up  to  Mr.  Lincoln.  When  admitted,  the  President 
said : 

"  '  You  are  a  minister,  I  believe.  What  can  I  do  for 
you,  my  friend  V 

"The  reply  was:  'A  young  man  from  my  congregation 
in  the  army  has  so  far  forgotten  his  duty  to  his  country  and 
his  God  as  to  desert  his  colors,  and  is  sentenced  to  die.  I 
have  come  to  ask  you  to  spare  him.' 

'With  characteristic  quaintness  the  President  replied: 
*  Then  you  don't  want  him  hurt,  do  you?' 

"'  Oh,  no,'  said  the  petitioner,  I  did  not  mean  that;  he 
deserves  punishment,  but  I  beg  for  him  time  to  prepare  to 
meet  his  God.' 

"  '  Do  you  say  he  has  father,  wife  and  child?'  said  Mr. 
Lincoln.     "  '  Yes.'     "  '  Where  do  you  say  he  is?' 


WAR  STORIES.  135 

"  On  being  told,  he  turned  to  his  secretary,  said  a  few 
words  in  an  undertone,  of  which  that  official  made  note,  and 
added  to  Dr.  Rodgers,  '  You  have  your  request.  Tell  his 
friends  I  have  reprieved  him.' 

"  With  a  '  God  bless  you,  Mr.  President,'  Dr.  Rodgers 
turned  away  to  bear  the  glad  news  to  the  distressed  family." 


A  Remarkable  Letter  From  Lincoln  to  Gen.  Hooker. 

The  following  remarkable  letter  from  Lincoln  to  General 
Hooker  was  written  after  the  latter  had  taken  command  of 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  in  January,  1863,  and  while  the 
President  yet  retained  it  in  his  possession,  an  intimate 
friend  chanced  to  be  in  his  Cabinet  one  night,  and  the  Pres- 
ident read  it  to  him,  remarking,  "  I  shall  not  read  this  to 
anybody  else,  but  I  want  to  know  how  it  strikes  you." 
During  the  following  April  or  May,  while  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  lay  opposite  Fredericksburg,  this  friend  accom- 
panied the  President  to  General  Hooker's  headquarters  on 
a  visit.  One  night  General  Hooker,  alone  in  his  tent  with 
this  gentleman,  said: 

"  The  President  says  that  he  showed  you  this  letter,"  and 
he  then  took  out  that  document,  which  was  closely  written 
on  a  sheet  of  letter-paper.  The  tears  stood  in  the  General's 
bright  blue  eyes  as  he  added:  "It  is  such  a  letter  as  a 
father  might  have  written  to  his  eon.  And  yet  it  hurt 
me."  Then,  dashing  the  water  from  his  eyes,  he  said: 
"  When  I  have  been  to  Richmond,  I  shall  have  this  letter 
published." 

This  was  more  than  sixteen  years  ago,  and  the  letter  has 
just  now  seen  the  light  of  day.  There  are  in  it  certain 
sharp  passages  which,  after  this  long  lapse  of  time,  can  not 
be  verified  by  the  memory  of  any  who  heard  it  read  in  1863. 
There  are  others  which  seem  missing.     Nevertheless,  the 


136  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

letter,  which  is  herewith  reprinted,  must  have  been  written 
by  Lincoln : 

Executive  Mansion,  Washington,  D.  C,  Jan.  28,  1863. — Maj.-Oen. 
Hooker — General:     I  have  placed  you  at  the  head  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac.    Of  course  I  have  done  this  upon  what  appears  to  me  to  be 
sufficient  reasons;  and  yet  I  think  it  best  for  you  to  know  that  there 
are  some  things  in  regard  to  which  I  am  not  quite  satisfied  with  you. 
T  believe  you  to  be  a  brave  and  skillful  soldier — which,  of  course,  I 
dke.     I  also  believe  you  do  not  mix  politics  with  your  profession — in 
which  you  are  right.     You  have  confidence  in  yourself— which  is  a 
valuable,  if  not  an  indispensable,  quality.    You  are  ambitious — which, 
within  reasonable  bounds,  does  good  rather  than  harm;  but  I  think 
that,  during  General  Burnside's  command  of  the  army,  you  have  taken 
counsel  of  your  ambition  and  thwarted  him  as  much  as  you  could,  in 
which  you  did  a  great  wrong  to  the  country,  and  to  a  most  meritorious 
and  honorable  brother-officer.     I  have  heard,  in  such  a  way  as  to  believe 
it,  of  your  recently  saying  that  both  the  army  and  the  Government 
needed  a  Dictator.     Of  course,  it  was  not  for  this,  but  in  spite  of  it,  that 
I  have  given  you  the  command.    Only  those  Generals  who  gain  suc- 
cesses can  set  up   Dictators.    What  I    now  ask   of  you  is   military 
success,  and  I  will  risk  the  Dictatorship.    The  Government  will  sup- 
port you  to  the  utmost  of  its  ability — which  is  neither  more  nor  less 
than  it  has  done  and  will  do  for  all  commanders.     I  much  fear  that  the 
spirit  which  you  have  aided  to  infuse  into  the  army,  of  criticising  their 
commander  and  withholding  confidence  from  him,  will  now  turn  upon 
you.     I  shall  assist  you  as  far  as  I  can  to  put  it  down.     Neither  you  nor 
Napoleon,  if  he  were  alive  again,  could  get  any  good  out  of  an  army 
while  such  a  spirit  prevails  in  it.    And  now  beware  of  rashness.    Be- 
ware of  rashness,  but,  with  energy  and   sleepless  vigilance,  go  forward 
and  give  us  victories.    Yours,  very  truly,  A.  Lincoln. 


An  Amusing  Anecdote  of  a  "Hen-Pecked  Husband." 

When  General  Phelps  took  possession  of  Ship  Island, 
near  New  Orleans,  early  in  the  war,  it  will  be  remembered 
that  he  issued  a  proclamation,  somewhat  bombastic  in  tone, 
freeing  the  slaves.  To  the  surprise  of  many  people,  on 
both  sides,  the  President  took  no  official  notice  of  this  move- 
ment.    Some  time  had  elapsed,  when  one  day  a  friend  took 


DOUGLAS  MONUMENT. 
On  the  banks  of  Lake  Michigan,  near  foot  of  35th  Street,  Chicago,  in  the  midst  of 
a  beautiful  park.  It  is  built  of  granite  from  Hollowell,  Me.,  with  an  altitude  of  104 
feet,  and  at  an  expense  of  about  $100,000.  Douglas  and  Lincoln  began  public  life 
together  as  members  of  the  Illinois  Legislature.  Though  differing  in  political  faith, 
wey  were  really  life-long  friends. 


WAR  STORIES.  130 

him  to  task  for  his  seeming  indifference  on  so  important  a 
matter. 

"  Well,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln,  "  I  feel  about  that  a  good  deal 
as  a  man  whom  I  will  call  '  Jones,'  whom  I  once  knew,  did 
about  his  wife.  He  was  one  of  your  meek  men,  and  had 
the  reputation  of  being  badly  hen-pecked.  At  last,  one  day 
his  wife  was  seen  switching  him  out  of  the  house.  A  day 
or  two  afterward  a  friend  met  him  in  the  street,  and  said: 
4  Jones,  I  have  always  stood  up  for  you,  as  you  know;  but 
I  am  not  going  to  do  it  any  longer.  Any  man  who  will 
stand  quietly  and  take  a  switching  from  his  wife,  deserves 
to  be  horsewhipped.'  Jones  looked  up  with  a  wink,  patting 
his  friend  on  the  back.  '  Now  don't]  said  he;  '  why,  it 
didn't  hurt  me  any;  and  you've  no  idea  what  a  power  of 
good  it  did  Sarah  Ann  V  " 


Lincoln's  Curt  Reply  to  a  Clergyman. 

No  nobler  reply  ever  fell  from  the  lips  of  a  ruler,  than  that 
uttered  by  President  Lincoln  in  response  to  the  clergyman 
who  ventured  to  say,  in  his  presence  during  the  war,  that 
he  hoped  "  the  Lord  was  on  our  side." 

•'  I  am  not  at  all  concerned  about  that,"  replied  Mr.  Lin- 
coln, "  for  I  know  that  the  Lord  is  always  on  the  side  of 
the  right.  But  it  is  my  constant  anxiety  and  prayer  that  / 
and  this  nation  should  be  on  the  Lord's  side." 


A  Short  Practical  Sermon. 


"  On  a  certain  occasion,  two  ladies,  from  Tennessee,  came 
before  the  President,  asking  the  release  of  their  husbandSj 
held  as  prisoners  of  war  at  Johnson's  Island.  They  were 
put  off  until  the  following  Friday,  when  they  came  again, 


140  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

and  were  again  put  off  until  Saturday.  At  each  of  the  in- 
terviews one  of  the  ladies  urged  that  her  husband  was  a 
religious  man.  On  Saturday,  when  the  President  ordered 
the  release  of  the  prisoner,  he  said  to  this  lady: 

u' You  say  your  husband  is  a  religious  man;  tell  him, 
when  you  meet  him,  that  I  say  I  am  not  much  of  a  judge 
of  religion,  but  that  in  my  opinion  the  religion  which  sets 
men  to  rebel  and  fight  against  their  Government,  because, 
as  they  think,  that  Government  does  not  sufficiently  help 
some  men  to  eat  their  bread  in  the  sweat  of  other  men's 
faces,  is  not  the  sort  of  religion  upon  which  people  can  get 
to  heaven.'  " 


A  Celebrated  Case  Settled  with  Lincoln-like  Celerity. 

The  celebrated  case  of  Franklin  W.  Smith  and  brother, 
was  one  of  those  which  most  largely  helped  to  bring  mili- 
tary tribunals  into  public  contempt.  Those  two  gentlemen 
were  arrested  and  kept  in  confinement,  their  papers  seized, 
their  business  destroyed,  their  reputation  damaged,  and  a 
naval  court-martial,  •'  organized  to  convict,"  pursued  them 
unrelentingly  till  a  wiser  and  juster  hand  arrested  the 
malice  of  their  persecutors.  It  is  known  that  President 
Lincoln,  after  full  investigation  of  the  case,  annulled  the 
whole  proceedings,  but  it  is  remarkable  that  the  actual 
record  of  his  decision  could  never  be  obtained  from  the 
jNTavy  Department.  An  exact  copy  being  withheld,  the  fol- 
lowing was  presented  to  the  Boston  Board  of  Trade  as 
being  very  nearly  the  words  of  the  late  President : 

"  Whereas,  Franklin  W.  Smith  had  transactions  with  the  Navy 
Department  to  the  amount  of  one  million  and  a  quarter  of  a  million  of 
dollars ;  and,  whereas,  he  had  the  chance  to  steal  a  quarter  of  a  million, 
and  was  only  charged  with  stealing  twenty -two  hundred  dollars — and 
the  question  now  is  about  his  stealing  a  hundred — I  don't  believe  he 
%tole  anything  at  all.    Therefore,  the  record  and  findings  are  disap- 


WAR  STORIES.  141 

l^roved  —  declared  null  and  void,  and  the  defendants  are  fully  dis- 
c.^iiged." 

"  It  would  be  difficult,"  says  the  New  York  Tribune,  "to 

sura  up  the  rights  and  wrongs  of  the  business  more  briefly 

than   that,  or  to  find  a  paragraph  more  characteristically 

and  unmistakably  Mr.  Lincoln's. 


Recollections  of  the  War  President  by  Judge  William  Johnston. 

I  rendered,  says  Judge  Johnston,  Mr.  Lincoln  some 
service  in  my  time.  When  I  went  to  Washington  I  ob- 
served that  among  Congressmen,  and  others  in  high  places, 
Mr.  Lincoln  had  very  few  friends.  Montgomery  Blair  was 
the  only  one  I  heard  speak  of  him  for  a  second  term.  This 
was  about  the  middle  of  his  first  Administration.  I  went 
to  "Washington  by  way  of  Columbus,  and  G.  Tod  asked  me 
to  carry  a  verbal  message  to  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  that  was  to 
tell  him  that  there  were  certain  elements  indispensable  to 
the  success  of  the  war  that  would  be  seriously  affected  by 
any  interference  with  McClellan. 

I  suppose  that  the  liberal  translation  of  Tod's  language 
would  be  thus  :  "  I  am  keeping  the  Democratic  soldiers  in 
the  field,  and  if  McClellan  is  interfered  with  I  shall  not  be 
able  to  do  it."  "We  all  felt  some  trouble  about  it.  McClellan 
had  been  relieved,  and  one  bright  moonlight  night  I  saw 
a  regiment,  I  suppose  Pennsylvanians  mostly,  marching 
from  the  Capitol  down  Pennsylvania  Avenue,  yelling  at  the 
top  of  their  lungs,  "  Hurrah  for  Little  Mac  !  "  and,  making 
a  pause  before  the  "White  House,  they  kept  up  that  bawling 
and  hurrahing  for  McClellan. 

I  went  to  see  Mr.  Lincoln  early  the  next  morning,  and 
asked  him  if  he  had  witnessed  the  performance  on  the  pre- 
vious night.  He  said  he  had.  I  asked  him  what  he  thought 
of  it.     He  said  it  was  very  perplexing.     I  told  him  I  had 


142  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

come  to  make  a  suggestion.  I  told  him  I  would  introduce 
him  to  a  young  man  of  fine  talents  and  liberal  education, 
who  had  lost  an  arm  in  the  service,  and  I  wanted  him  to 
tell  one  of  his  Cabinet  Ministers  to  give  that  young  man  a 
good  place  in  the  Civil  Service,  and  to  avail  himself  of  the 
occasion  to  declare  that  the  policy  of  the  Administration 
was,  whenever  the  qualifications  were  equal,  to  give  those 
who  had  been  wounded  or  disabled  in  the  service  of  the 
country  the  preference  in  the  Civil  Department.  He  said 
it  was  an  idea  he  would  like  to  think  of,  and  asked  me  how 
soon  I  would  wait  upon  him  in  the  morning.  I  said  any 
hour;  and  I  went  at  7  o'clock  and  found  him  in  the  hands 
of  a  barber.  Says  he:  "I  have  been  thinking  about  your 
proposition,  and  I  have  a  question  to  ask  you:  Did  you 
ever  know  Colonel  Smith,  of  Rockford,  111.  ?"  I  said  I 
had  an  introduction  to  him  when  attending  to  the  defense 
of  Governor  Bebb.  "  You  know,"  said  he,  "  that  he  was 
killed  at  Yicksburg;  that  his  head  was  carried  off  by  a 
shell.  He  was  Postmaster,  and  his  wife  wants  the  place," 
and  he  inquired  if  that  would  come  up  to  my  idea;  and 
thereupon  he  and  I  concocted  a  letter — I  have  the  corre- 
spondence in  my  possession — to  Postmaster  General  Blair, 
directing  him  to  appoint  the  widow  of  Colonel  Smith  Post- 
mistress, in  the  room  of  her  deceased  husband,  who  had 
fallen  in  battle,  and  stating  that  in  consideration  of  what 
was  due  to  the  men  who  were  fighting  our  battles,  he  had 
made  up  his  mind  that  the  families  of  those  who  had  fallen, 
and  those  disabled  in  the  service,  their  qualifications  being 
equal,  should  always  have  a  preference  in  the  Civil  Service. 
I  told  him  I  was  not  personally  acquainted  with  Blair, 
and  he  gave  me  a  note  of  introduction  to  him  with  the  let- 
ter. I  told  Blair  that  I  proposed  to  take  a  copy  of  Mr. 
Lincoln's  letter,  which  he  had  then  made  out  by  the  clerk. 
I  took  the  letter  to  the  Chronicle  office  in  Washington,  in 


WAR  STORIES.  143 

which  paper  it  was  published,  and  the  next  morning  I 
jumped  into  an  ambulance  and  went  to  the  convalescing 
camp,  where  there  were  about  7,000  convalescents,  a  great 
many  of  them  Ohio  men,  and  when  I  made  my  appearance 
they  called  on  me  for  a  speech.  I  got  upon  a  terrace  and 
made  them  a  few  remarks,  and,  coming  round  to  the  old 
saw,  "  that  Republics  are  always  ungrateful,"  I  told  them 
I  could  not  vouch  for  the  Republic,  but  1  thought  I  could 
vouch  for  the  chief  man  at  the  head  of  the  Administration, 
and  he  had  already  spoken  on  that  subject,  and  when  I  read 
Lincoln's  letter  the  boys  flung  their  hats  into  the  ail  and 
made  the  welkin  ring  for  a  long  while.  I  hurried  back  to 
the  city,  and  with  a  pair  of  shears  cut  out  Lincoln's  letter, 
and  then  attached  some  editorial  remarks,  and  that  letter 
went  around,  and  I  believe  was  published  in  every  friendly 
newspaper  in  the  United  States.  About  that  time  Congress 
passed  a  resolution  to  the  same  effect,  that  those  disabled 
in  the  military  service  of  the  country,  wherever  qualified, 
ought  to  have  a  preference  over  others.  This  may  have 
been  a  small  matter,  but  it  made  a  marvelous  impression 
on  the  army. 


The  Serpent  in  Bed  With  Two  Children. 

A  number  of  Kentuckians  insisted  that  troops  should 
not  be  sent  through  that  state  for  the  purpose  of  putting 
down  the  war  in  Tennessee.  The  President  was  hesitating 
what  to  do,  and  they  were  pressing  immediate  action. 

<l  I  am,"  he  said,  "  a  good  deal  like  the  farmer  who,  re- 
turning to  his  home  one  Winter  night,  found  his  two  sweet 
little  boys  asleep  with  a  hideous  serpent  crawling  over  their 
bodies.  He  could  not  strike  the  serpent  without  wounding 
or  killing  the  children,  so  he  calmly  waited  until  it  had 
aioved  away.     Now,  I  do  not  want  to  act  in  a  hurry  about 


144  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

this  matter;    I  don't  want  to  hurt  anybody  in  Kentucky; 
but  I  will  get  the  serpent  out  of  Tennessee. 

"And  he  did  march  through  Kentucky,  to  the  aid  oi 
Andrew  Johnson's  mountaineers." 


A  Church  Which  God  Wanted  for  the  Union  Soldiers. 

"Among  the  various  applicants  at  the  White  House  one 
day  was  a  well-dressed  lady,  who  came  forward,  without 
apparent  embarrassment  in  her  air  of  manner,  and  addressed 
the  President.  Giving  her  a  very  close  and  scrutinizing 
look,  he  said: 

" '  Well,  madam,  what  can  I  do  for  you?' 

"  She  proceeded  to  tell  him  that  she  lived  in  Alexandria; 
that  the  church  where  she  worshiped  had  been  taken  for  a 
hospital. 

"  '  What  church,  madam?'  Mr.  Lincoln  asked,  in  a  quick, 
nervous  manner. 

"  '  The  Church,'  she  replied  ;   '  and   as    there  are 

only  two  or  three  wounded  soldiers  in  it,  I  came  to  see  if 
you  would  not  let  us  have  it,  as  we  want  it  very  much  to 
worship  God  in.' 

"  '  Madam,  have  you  been  to  see  the  Post  Surgeon  at 
Alexandria  about  this  matter?' 

"  'Yes,  sir;  but  we  could  do  nothing  with  him.' 

"  '  Well,  we  put  him  there  to  attend  to  just  such  busi- 
ness, and  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  he  knows  better 
what  should  be  done  under  the  circumstances  than  I  do. 
See  here:  you  say  you  live  in  Alexandria;  probably  you 
own  property  there.  How  much  will  you  give  to  assist  in 
building  a  hospital?' 

" '  You  know,  Mr.  Lincoln,  our  property  is  very  much 
embarrassed  by  the  war; — so,  really,  I  could  hardly  afford 
to  give  much  for  such  a  purpose.' 


WAR  STORIES.  145 

"  '  "Well,  madam,  I  expect  we  shall  have  another  fight 
soon;  and  my  candid  opinion  is,  God  wants  that  church 
for  poor  wounded  Union  soldiers,  as  much  as  He  does  for 
secesh  people  to  worship  in.'  Turning  to  his  table,  he  said, 
quite  abruptly,  '  You  will  excuse  me;  I  can  do  nothing  for 
you.     Good-day,  madam.'  " 


How  Lincoln  Relieved  Rosecrans. 

General  James  B.  Steedman,  familiarly  known  as  "  Old 
Chickamauga,"  relates  the  following:  Some  weeks  after 
the  disastrous  battle  of  Chickamauga,  while  yet  Chattanooga 
was  in  a  state  of  siege,  General  Steedman  was  surprised 
one  day  to  receive  a  telegram  from  Abraham  Lincoln  to 
come  to  Washington.  Seeking  out  Thomas,  he  laid  the 
telegram  before  him,  and  was  instructed  to  set  out  at  once. 
Repairing  to  the  White  House,  he  was  warmly  received  by 
Mr.  Lincoln.  Mr.  Lincoln's  first  question  was  abrupt  and 
to  the  point : 

"  General  Steedman,  what  is  your  opinion  of  General 
Rosecrans?" 

General  Steedman,  hesitating  a  moment,  said:  "Mr. 
President,  I  would  rather  not  express  my  opinion  of  my 
superior  officer." 

Mr.  Lincoln  said:  "  It  is  the  man  who  does  not  want  to 
express  an  opinion  whose  opinion  I  want.  I  am  besieged 
on  all  sides  with  advice.  Every  day  I  get  letters  from  army 
officers  asking  me  to  allow  them  to  come  to  Washington  to 
impart  some  valuable  knowledge  in  their  possession." 

"  Well,  Mr.  President,"  said  General  Steedman,  "you  are 
the  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Army,  and  if  you  order  me 
to  speak  I  will  do  so." 

Mr.  Lincoln  said:     "  Then  I  will  order  an  opinion." 

General  Steedman  then  answered:  "  Since  you  com- 
10 


146  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

mand  me,  Mr.  President,  I  will  say  General  Rosecrans  is  a 
splendid  man  to  command  a  victorious  army." 

"But  what  kind  of  a  man  is  he  to  command  a  defeated 
army?"  said  Mr.  Lincoln. 

General  Steedman  in  reply  said,  cautiously :  "  I  think 
there  are  two  or  three  men  in  that  army  that  would  be 
better." 

Then,  with  his  quaint  humor,  Mr.  Lincoln  propounded 
this  question:  "  "Who,  besides  yourself,  General  Steedman. 
is  there  in  that  army  who  would  make  a  better  com- 
mander?" 

General  Steedman  said  promptly:  "General  George  H. 
Thomas." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  you  say  so,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln,  "  that 
is  my  own  opinion  exactly.  But  Mr.  Stanton  is  against 
him,  and  it  was  only  yesterday  that  a  powerful  New  York 
delegation  was  here  to  protest  against  his  appointment  be- 
cause he  is  from  a  Rebel  State  and  can  not  be  trusted." 

Said  General  Steedman:  "A  man  who  will  leave  his 
own  state  (Thomas  was  a  Virginian),  his  friends,  all  his 
associations,  to  follow  the  flag  of  his  country,  can  be  trusted 
in  any  position  to  which  he  may  be  called."  That  night 
the  order  went  forth  from  Washington  relieving  General 
Rosecrans  of  the  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Cumber- 
land and  appointing  Thomas  in  his  place. 


An  Interesting   Incident  Connected  With   Signing  the  Emancipa- 
tion  Proclamation. 

"  The  roll  containing  the  Emancipation  Proclamation  was 
taken  to  Mr.  Lincoln  at  noon  on  the  first  dav  of  Januarv, 
1863,  by  Secretary  Seward  and  his  son  Frederick.  A_s  it 
lay  unrolled  before  him,  Mr.  Lincoln  took  a  pen,  dipped  it 
in  ink,  moved  hid  hand  to  the  place  for  the  signature,  held 


WAR  STORIES.  147 

it  a  moment,  and  then  removed  his  hand  and  dropped  the 
pen.  After  a  little  hesitation  he  again  took  up  the  pen  and 
went  through  the  same  movement  as  before.  Mr.  Lincoln 
then  turned  to  Mr.  Seward,  and  said: 

"  '  I  have  been  shaking  hands  since  nine  o'clock  this 
morning,  and  my  right  arm  is  almost  paralyzed.  If  my 
name  ever  goes  into  history  it  will  be  for  this  act,  and  my 
whole  soul  is  in  it.  If  my  hand  trembles  when  I  sign  the 
Proclamation,  all  who  examine  the  document  hereafter  will 
say,  '  He  hesitated.' 

"  He  then  turned  to  the  table,  took  up  the  pen  again,  and 
slowly,  firmly  wrote  '  Abraham  Lincoln,'  with  which  the 
whole  world  is  now  familiar.  He  then  looked  up,  smiled, 
and  said:  '  That  will  do?  " 


A  Dream  That  Was  Portentous  —  What  Lincoln  said  to  General 

Grant  About  It. 

At  the  Cabinet  meeting  held  the  morning  of  the  day  of 
the  assassination,  it  was  afterward  remembered,  a  remark- 
able circnmstance  occurred.  General  Grant  was  present, 
and  during  a  lull  in  the  discussion  the  President  turned  to 
him  and  asked  if  he  had  heard  from  General  Sherman. 
General  Grant  replied  that  he  had  not,  but  was  in  hourly 
expectation  of  receiving  despatches  from  him  announcing 
the  surrender  of  Johnson. 

"  Well,"  said  the  President,  "  you  will  hear  very  soon 
now,  and  the  news  will  be  important." 

"  "Why  do  you  think  so?"  said  the  General. 

"  Because,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln,  "  I  had  a  dream  last  night; 
and  ever  since  the  war  began,  I  have  invariably  had  the 
same  dream  before  any  important  military  event  occurred." 
He  then  instanced  Bull  Run,  Antietam,  Gettysburg,  etc., 
and  said  that  before  each  of  these  events,  he  had  had  the 


148  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

same  dream ;  and  turning  to  Secretary  "Welles,  said :  "  It 
is  in  your  line,  too,  Mr.  Welles.  The  dream  is,  that  I  saw 
a  ship  sailing  very  rapidly ;  and  I  am  sure  that  it  portends 
some  important  national  event." 

Later  in  the  day,  dismissing  all  business,  the  carriage  was 
ordered  for  a  drive.  When  asked  by  Mrs.  Lincoln  if  he 
would  like  any  one  to  accompany  them,  he  replied: 

"No;  I  prefer  to  ride  by  ourselves  to-day." 

Mrs.  Lincoln  subsequently  said  that  she  never  saw  him 
seem  so  supremely  happy  as  on  this  occasion.  In  reply  to 
a  remark  to  this  effect,  the  President  said: 

"  And  well  I  may  feel  so,  Mary,  for  I  consider  this  day 
the  war  has  come  to  a  close."  And  then  added:  "We 
must  both  be  more  cheerful  in  the  future;  between  the  war 
and  the  loss  of  our  darling  Willie,  we  have  been  very 
miserable." 


Lincoln  and  Judge  Baldwin. 

"  Judge  Baldwin,  of  California,  being  in  Washington, 
called  one  day  on  General  Halleck,  and,  presuming  upon 
a  familiar  acquaintance  in  California  a  few  years  before, 
solicited  a  pass  outside  of  our  lines  to  see  a  brother  in 
Virginia,  not  thinking  that  he  would  meet  with  a  refusal, 
as  both  his  brother  and  Iiimself  were  good  Union  men. 

" '  We  have  been  deceived  too  often,'  said  General  Hal- 
leck, '  and  I  regret  I  can't  grant  it.' 

Judge  B.  then  wont  to  Stanton,  and  was  very  briefly 
disposed  of,  with  the  same  result.  Finally,  he  obtained  an 
interview  with  Mr  Lincoln,  and  stated  his  case. 

"  '  Have  you  applied  to  General  Halleck  V  inquired  the 
President. 

"  *  Yes,  and  met  with  a  flat  refusal,'  said  Judge  B. 


WAR  STORIES.  149 

"  'Then  you  must  see  Stanton,'  continued  the  President. 

" '  I  have,  and  with  the  same  result,'  was  the  reply. 

"  '  Well,  then,'  said  Mr.  Lincoln,  with  a  smile,  '  I  can  do 
nothing;  for  you  must  know  that  I  have  very  little  influ- 
ence with  this  Administration.''  " 


Lincoln  and   Stanton  Fixing  up    Peace   Between  the  Two  Con- 
tending Armies. 

"  On  the  night  of  the  3d  of  March,  the  Secretary  of 
War,  with  others  of  the  Cabinet,  were  in  the  company  of 
the  President,  at  the  Capitol,  awaiting  the  passage  of  the 
final  bills  of  Congress.  In  the  intervals  of  reading  and 
signing  these  documents,  the  military  situation  was  con- 
sidered— the  lively  conversation  tinged  by  the  confident  and 
glowing  account  of  General  Grant,  of  his  mastery  of  the 
position,  and  of  his  belief  that  a  few  days  more  would  see 
Richmond  in  our  possession,  and  the  army  of  Lee  either 
dispersed  utterly  or  captured  bodily — when  the  telegram 
from  Grant  was  received,  saying  that  Lee  had  asked  an  in- 
terview with  reference  to  peace.  Mr.  Lincoln  was  elated, 
and  the  kindness  of  his  heart  was  manifest  in  intimations 
of  favorable  terms  to  be  granted  to  the  conquered  Rebels. 

"  Stanton  listened  in  silence,  restraining  his  emotion,  but 
at  length  the  tide  burst  forth.  '  Mr.  President,'  said  he, 
1  to-morrow  is  inauguration  day.  If  you  are  not  to  be  the 
President  of  an  obedient  and  united  people,  you  had  better 
not  be  inaugurated.  Your  work  is  already  done,  if  any 
other  authority  than  yours  is  for  one  moment  to  be  recog- 
nized, or  any  terms  made  that  do  not  signify  you  are  the 
supreme  head  of  the  nation.  If  generals  in  the  field  are  to 
negotiate  peace,  or  any  other  chief  magistrate  is  to  be 
acknowledged  on  this  continent,  then  you  are  not  needed, 
and  you  had  better  not  take  the  oath  of  office.' 


150  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

"  '  Stanton  you  are  right ! '  said  the  President,  his  whole 
tone  changing.     '  Let  me  have  a  pen.' 

"  Mr.  Lincoln  sat  down  at  the  table,  and  wrote  as  fol- 
lows : 

"  '  The  President  directs  me  to  say  to  you  that  he  'wishes  you  to  have 
no  conference  with  General  Lee,  unless  it  be  for  the  capitulation  of  Lee's 
army,  or  on  some  minor  or  purely  military  matter.  He  instructs  me  to 
say  that  you  are  not  to  decide,  discuss,  or  confer  upon  any  political 
question.  Such  questions  the  President  holds  in  his  own  hands,  and 
will  submit  them  to  no  military  conferences  or  conventions.  In  the 
mean  time  you  are  to  press  to  the  utmost  your  military  advantages.' 

"  The  President  read  over  what  he  had  written,  and  then 
said  : 

"  ;  Now,  Stanton,  date  and  sign  this  paper,  and  send 
it  to  Grant.     We'll  see  about  this  peace  business.' 

41  The  duty  was  discharged  only  too  gladly  by  the  ener- 
getic Secretary." 


The  Merciful  President. 

A  personal  friend  of  President  Lincoln  says :  "  I  called 
on  him  one  day  in  the  early  part  of  the  war.  He  had  just 
written  a  pardon  for  a  young  man  who  had  been  sentenced 
to  be  shot,  for  sleeping  at  his  post,  as  a  sentinel.  He  re- 
marked as  he  read  it  to  me  : 

"  '  I  could  not  think  of  going  into  eternity  with  the  blood 
of  the  poor  young  man  on  my  skirts.'  Then  he  added : 
1  It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  a  bov,  raised  on  a  farm, 
probably  in  the  habit  of  going  to  bed  at  dark,  should,  when 
required  to  watch,  fall  asleep;  and  I  can  not  consent  to 
shoot  him  for  such  an  act.'  " 

This  story,  with  its  moral,  is  made  complete  by  Rev. 
Newman  Hall,  of  London,  who,  in  a  sermon  preached  after 
and  upon  Mr.  Lincoln's  death,  says  that  the  dead  body  of 
this  youth  was  found  among  the  slain  on  the  field  of  Fred- 


WAR  STORIES.  151 

ericksburg,  wearing  next  his  heart  a  photograph  of  his  pre- 
server, beneath  which  the  grateful  fellow  had  written,  "  God 
bless  President  Lincoln  !" 

From  the  same  sermon  another  anecdote  is  gleaned,  of  a 
similar  character,  which  is  evidently  authentic.  An  officer 
of  the  army,  in  conversation  with  the  preacher,  said  : 

"  The  first  week  of  my  command,  there  were  twenty-four 
deserters  sentenced  by  court  martial  to  be  shot,  and  the 
warrants  for  their  execution  were  sent  to  the  President  to 
be  signed.  He  refused.  I  went  to  Washington  and  had  an 
interview.     I  said  : 

"  '  Mr.  President,  unless  these  men  are  made  an  example 
of,  the  army  itself  is  in  danger.  Mercy  to  the  few  is  cruelty 
to  the  many.' 

"  He  replied  :  '  Mr.  General,  there  are  already  too  many 
weeping  widows  in  the  United  States.  For  God's  sake, 
don't  ask  me  to  add  to  the  number,  for  I  won't  do  it.' " 


No  Mercy  for  the  Man  Stealer  —  Lincoln  Uses  Very  Strong 

Language. 

Hon.  John  B.  Alley,  of  Lynn,  Massachusetts,  was  made 
the  bearer  to  the  President  of  a  petition  for  pardon,  by  a 
person  confined  in  the  Kewburyport  jail  for  being  engaged 
in  the  slave-trade.  He  had  been  sentenced  to  five  years' 
imprisonment,  and  the  payment  of  a  fine  of  one  thousand 
dollars.  The  petition  was  accompanied  by  a  letter  to  Mr. 
Alley,  in  which  the  prisoner  acknowledged  his  guilt  and  the 
justice  of  his  sentence  He  was  very  penitent — at  least,  on 
paper  —  and  had  received  the  full  measure  of  his  punish- 
ment, so  far  as  it  related  to  the  term  of  his  imprisonment ; 
but  he  was  still  held  because  he  could  not  pay  his  fine.  Mr. 
Alley  read  the  letter  to  the  President,  who  was  much  moved 
by  its  pathetic  appeals  ;  and  when  he  had  himself  read  the 


152  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

petition,  he  looked  up  and  said  :  "  My  friend  that  is  a  very 
touching  appeal  to  our  feelings.  You  know  my  weakness 
is  to  be,  if  possible,  too  easily  moved  by  appeals  for  mercy, 
and,  if  this  man  were  guilty  of  the  foulest  murder  that  the 
arm  of  man  could  perpetrate,  I  might  forgive  him  on  such 
an  appeal ;  but  the  man  who  could  go  to  Africa,  and  rob 
her  of  her  children,  and  sell  them  into  interminable  bond- 
age, with  no  other  motive  than  that  which  is  furnished  by 
dollars  and  cents,  is  so  much  worse  than  the  most  depraved 
murderer,  that  he  can  never  receive  pardon  at  my  hands. 
No  !  He  may  rot  in  jail  before  he  shall  have  liberty  by 
any  act  of  mine."  A  sudden  crime,  committed  under 
strong  temptation,  was  venial  in  his  eyes,  on  evidence  of 
repentance  ;  but  the  calculating,  mercenary  crime  of  man- 
stealing  and  man-selling,  with  all  the  cruelties  that  are 
essential  accompaniments  of  the  business,  could  win  from 
him,  as  an  officer  of  the  people,  no  pardon. 


A  Touching  Incident  in  the  Life  of  Lincoln. 

A  few  days  before  the  President's  death,  Secretary  Stan- 
ton tendered  his  resignation  of  the  "War  Department.  He 
accompanied  the  act  with  a  heartfelt  tribute  to  Mr.  Lin- 
coln's constant  friendship  and  faithful  devotion  to  the  coun- 
try; saying,  also,  that  he  as  Secretary  had  accepted  the  pos- 
ition to  hold  it  only  until  the  war  should  end,  and  that  now 
he  felt  his  work  was  done,  and  his  duty  was  to  resign. 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  greatly  moved  by  the  Secretary's  words, 
and  tearing  in  pieces  the  paper  containing  the  resignation, 
and  throwing  his  arms  about  the  Secretary,  he  said: 

"Stanton,  you  have  been  a  good  friend  and  a  faithful 
public  servant,  and  it  is  not  for  you  to  say  when  you  will 
no  longer  be  needed  here."  Several  friends  of  both  parties 
were  present  on  the  occasion,  and  there  was  not  a  dry  eye 
that  witnessed  the  scene. 


WAR  STORIES.  153 

The  Great  Thing  About  Gen.  Grant  as  Lincoln  Saw  It. 

Mr.  Carpenter,  the  artist,  made  particular  inquiry  of  the 
President,  during  the  progress  of  the  Battles  of  the  Wil- 
derness, how  General  Grant  personally  in  pressed  hi  in  as 
compared  to  other  officers  of  the  army,  and  especially  those 
who  had  been  in  command. 

"  The  great  thing  about  Grant,"  said  he,  "  I  take  it,  is 
his  perfect  coolness  and  persistency  of  purpose.  I  judge 
he  is  not  easily  excited,  which  is  a  great  element  in  an  offi- 
cer, and  has  the  grit  of  a  bull-dog  !  Once  let  him  get  his 
1  teeth '  in,  and  nothing  can  shake  him  olf." 


Lincoln's  Second  Nomination — How  He  Associated  it  with  a  Very 

Singular  Circumstance — Lincoln  Sees  Two  Images  of 

Himseli  in  a  Mirror. 

It  appeared  that  the  dispatch  announcing  Lincoln's  re- 
nomination  for  President  had  been  sent  to  his  office  from 
the  War  Department  while  he  was  at  lunch.  Afterward, 
without  going  back  to  the  official  chamber,  he  proceeded  to 
the  War  Department.  While  there,  the  telegram  came  in 
announcing  the  nomination  of  Johnson. 

"What  !  "  said  he  to  the  operator,  "do  they  nominate  a 
Vice-President  before  they  do  a  President?" 

"  Why!  "  rejoined  the  astonished  official,  "  have  you  not 
heard  of  your  own  nomination?  It  was  sent  to  the  White 
House  two  hours  ago." 

"It  is  all  right,"  was  the  reply;  "  I  shall  probably  find 
it  on  my  return." 

Laughing  pleasantly  over  this  incident,  he  said,  soon 
afterwards  :  "A  very  singular  occurence  took  place  the 
day  I  was  nominated  at  Chicago,  four  years  ago,  of  which 
I  am  reminded  to-night.  In  the  afternoon  of  the  day,  re- 
turning home  from  down  town,  I  went  up-stairs  to  Mrs. 


154  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

Lincoln's  reading-room.  Feeling  somewhat  tired,  I  lay 
down  upon  a  couch  in  the  room,  directly  opposite  a  bureau 
upon  which  was  a  looking-glass.  As  I  reclined,  my  eye 
fell  upon  the  glass,  and  /  saw  distinctly  two  images  of  my- 
self]  exactly  alike,  except  that  one  was  a  little  paler  than 
the  other.  I  arose,  and  lav  down  again,  with  the  same  result. 
It  made  me  quite  uncomfortable  for  a  few  moments,  but 
some  friends  coming  in,  the  matter  passed  out  of  my  mind. 

"The  next  day.  while  walking  in  the  street,  I  was  sud- 
denly  reminded  of  the  circumstance,  and  the  disagreeable 
sensation  produced  by  it  returned.  I  had  never  seen  any- 
thing of  the  kind  before,  and  did  not  know  what  to  make 
of  it. 

"  I  determined  to  go  home  and  place  myself  in  the  same 
position,  and  if  the  same  effect  was  produced,  I  would 
make  up  my  mind  that  it  was  the  natural  result  of  some 
principle  of  refraction  or  optics  which  I  did  not  under- 
stand, and  dismiss  it.  I  tried  the  experiment,  with  a  like 
result;  and,  as  I  had  said  to  myself,  accounting  for  it  on 
some  principle  unknown  to  me,  it  ceased  to  trouble  me. 
But,"  said  he,  "  some  time  ago,  I  tried  to  produce  the  same 
effect  here,  by  arranging  a  glass  and  couch  in  the  same 
position,  without  success." 

He  did  not  say,  at  this  time,  that  either  he  or  Mrs.  Lin- 
coln attached  any  omen  to  the  phenomenon,  but  it  is  well 
known  that  Mrs.  Lincoln  regarded  it  as  a  sign  that  the 
President  would  be  re-elected. 


How  Lincoln  Illustrated  What  Might  Be  Done  With  Jeff.  Davis. 

One  of  the  latest  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  stories,  was  told  to  a 
party  of  gentlemen,  who,  among  the  tumbling  ruins  of  the 
Confederacy,  anxiously  asked  "  what  he  would  do  with  Jeifi. 
Davis?" 


WAM  STORIES.  155 

"  There  was  a  boy  in  Springfield,"  replied  Mr.  Lincoln, 
"  who  saved  up  his  money  and  bought  a  '  coon,'  which,  after 
the  novelty  wore  off,  became  a  great  nuisance. 

"  He  was  one  day  leading  him  through  the  streets,  and 
had  his  hands  full  to  keep  clear  of  the  little  vixen,  who  had 
torn  his  clothes  half  off  of  him.  At  length  he  sat  down 
on  the  curb-stone,  completely  fagged  out.  A  man  passing 
was  stopped  by  the  lad's  disconsolate  appearance,  and  asked 
the  matter. 

"  '  Oh,'  was  the  only  reply,  *  this  coon  is  such  a  trouble 
to  me." 

" '  "Why  don't  you  get  rid  of  him,  then  V  said  the  gentleman. 

"  'Hush/'  said  the  boy;  '  don't  you  see  he  is  gnawing  his 
rope  off  ?  I  am  going  to  let  him  do  it,  and  then  I  will  go 
home  and  tell  the  folks  that  he  got  away  from  me.n  " 


Lincoln's  Cutting  Reply  to  the  Confederate  Commission — His 
Story  of  "  Root  Hog  or  Die." 

At  a  so-called  "  peace  conference  "  procured  by  the  vol- 
untary and  irresponsible  agency  of  Mr.  Francis  P.  Blair, 
which  was  held  on  the  steamer  River  Queen,  in  Hampton 
Roads,  on  the  3d  of  February,  1865,  between  President 
Lincoln  and  Mr.  Seward,  representing  the  government,  and 
Messrs.  Alexander  H.  Stephens,  J.  A.  Campbell  and  R. 
M.  T.  Hunter,  representing  the  rebel  confederacy,  Mr. 
Hunter  replied  that  the  recognition  of  Jeff  Davis'  power 
was  the  first  and  indispensable  step  to  peace;  and,  to  illus- 
trate his  point,  he  referred  to  the  correspondence  between 
King  Charles  the  First  and  his  Parliament,  as  a  reliable 
precedent  of  a  constitutional  ruler  treating  with  rebels. 
Mr.  Lincoln's  face  wore  that  indescribable  expression  which 
generally  preceded  his  hardest  hits  ;  and  he  remarked  : 

"Upon  questions  of  history  I  must  refer  you  to  Mfi 


156  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

Seward,  for  he  is  posted  in  such  things,  and  I  don't  profess 
to  be  ;  but  my  only  distinct  recollection  of  the  matter  is 
that  Charles  lost  his  head  !  " 

Mr.  Hunter  remarked,  on  the  same  occasion,  that  the 
slaves,  always  accustomed  to  work  upon  compulsion,  under 
an  overseer,  would,  if  suddenly  freed,  precipitate  not  only 
themselves,  but  the  entire  society  of  the  South,  into  irre- 
mediable ruin.  No  work  would  be  done,  but  blacks  and 
whites  would  starve  together.  The  President  waited  for 
Mr.  Seward  to  answer  the  argument,  but,  as  that  gentleman 
hesitated,  he  said : 

"  Mr.  Hunter,  you  ought  to  know  a  great  deal  better  about 
this  matter  than  I,  for  you  have  always  lived  under  the 
slave  system.  I  can  only  say,  in  reply  to  your  statement  of 
the  case,  that  it  reminds  me  of  a  man  out  in  Illinois,  by  the 
name  of  Case,  who  undertook,  a  few  years  ago,  to  raise  a 
very  large  herd  of  hogs.  It  was  a  great  trouble  to  feed 
them  ;  and  how  to  get  around  this  was  a  puzzle  to  him. 
At  length  he  hit  upon  the  plan  of  planting  an  immense 
field  of  potatoes,  and,  when  they  were  sufficiently  grown,  he 
turned  the  whole  herd  into  the  field  and  let  them  have  full 
swing,  thus  saving  not  only  the  labor  of  feeding  the  hogs, 
but  that  also  of  digging  the  potatoes  !  Charmed  with  his 
sagacity,  he  stood  one  day  leaning  against  the  fence,  count- 
ing his  hogs,  when  a  neighbor  came  along : 

"  '  Well,  well,'  said  he,  '  Mr.  Case  this  is  all  very  fine. 
Your  hogs  are  doing  very  well  just  now ;  but  you  know 
out  here  in  Illinois  the  frost  comes  early,  and  the  ground 
freezes  a  foot  deep.     Then  what  are  they  going  to  do  ? ' 

"  This  was  a  view  of  the  matter  which  Mr.  Case  had  not 
taken  into  account.  Butchering  time  for  hogs  was  away  on 
in  December  or  January.  He  scratched  his  head  and  at 
length  stammered  :  '  Well,  it  may  come  pretty  hard  on 
their  snouts,  but  I  don't  see  but  it  will  be  root  Iwg  or  die/*" 


MISCELLANEOUS.  159 


MISCELLANEOUS  ST  VRIES. 


Attending  Henry  Ward  Beecher's  Church — What  Lincoln  said  of 

Beecher. 

Mr.  Nelson  Sizer,  one  of  the  gallery  ushers  of  Henry 
Ward  Beecher's  church  in  Brooklyn,  told  a  friend  that 
about  the  time  of  the  Cooper  Institute  speech,  Mr.  Lin- 
coln was  twice  present  at  the  morning  services  of  that 
church.  On  the  first  occasion,  he  was  accompanied  by  his 
friend,  George  B.  Lincoln,  Esq.,  and  occupied  a  prominent 
seat  in  the  centre  of  the  house.  On  a  subsequent  Sunday 
morning,  not  long  afterwards,  the  church  was  packed,  as 
usual,  and  the  services  had  proceeded  to  the  announcement 
of  the  text,  when  the  gallery  door  at  the  right  of  the  organ- 
loft  opened,  and  the  tall  figure  of  Mr.  Lincoln  entered, 
alone.  Again  ia  the  city  over  Sunday,  he  started  out  by 
himself  to  find  the  church,  which  he  reached  considerably 
behind  time.  Every  seat  was  occupied;  but  the  gentle- 
manly usher  at  once  surrendered  his  own,  and,  stepping 
back,  became  much  interested  in  watching  the  effect  of  the 
sermon  upon  the  western  orator.  As  Mr.  Beecher  devel- 
oped his  line  of  argument,  Mr.  Lincoln's  body  swayed  for- 
ward, his  lips  parted,  and  he  seemed  at  length  entirely 
unconscious  of  his  surroundings — frequently  giving  vent  to 
his  satisfaction,  at  a  well-put  point  or  illustration,  with  a 
kind  of  involuntary  Indian  exclamation  —  "ugh/" — not 
audible  beyond  his  immediate  presence,  but  very  expressive! 
Mr.  Lincoln  henceforward  had  a  profound  admiration  for 
the  talents  of  the  famous  pastor  of  Plymouth  Church.  He 
once  remarked  to  the  Rev.  Henry  M.  Field,  of  New  York, 


160  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

that  "  he  thought  there  was  not  upon  record,  in  ancient  or 
modern  biography,  so  productive  a  mind,  as  had  been  ex- 
hibited in  the  career  of  Henry  Ward  Beecher  ! " 


Lincoln's  Love  for  Little  Tad. 

No  matter  who  was  with  the  President,  or  how  intently 
absorbed,  his  little  son  Tad  was  always  welcome.  He  almost 
always  accompanied  his  father.  Once  on  the  way  to  Fortress 
Monroe,  he  became  very  troublesome.  The  President  was 
much  engaged  in  conversation  with  the  party  who  accom- 
panied him,  and  he  at  length  said: 

"  Tad,  if  you  will  be  a  good  boy,  and  not  disturb  me  any 
more  till  we  get  to  Fortress  Monroe,  I  will  give  you  a 
dollar." 

The  hope  of  reward  was  effectual  for  a  while  in  securing 
silence,  but,  boy-like,  Tad  soon  forgot  his  promise,  and  was 
as  noisy  as  ever.  Upon  reaching  their  destination,  how- 
ever, he  said,  very  promptly,  "  Father,  I  want  my  dollar." 

Mr.  Lincoln  turned  to  him  with  the  inquiry:  "Tad,  do 
you  think  you  have  earned  it  ? " 

"  Yes,"  was  the  sturdy  reply. 

Mr.  Lincoln  looked  at  him  half  reproachfully  for  an  in- 
stant, and  then  taking  from  his  pocket-book  a  dollar  note, 
he  said :  "  "Well,  my  son,  at  any  rate,  I  will  keep  my  part 
of  the  hargain." 
.  While  paying  a  visit  to  Commodore  Porter  at  Fortress 
Monroe,  on  one  occasion,  an  incident  occurred,  subsequently 
related  by  Lieutenant  Braine,  one  of  the  officers  on  board 
the  flag-ship,  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Ewer,  of  New  York.  Noticing 
that  the  banks  of  the  river  were  dotted  with  Spring  blos- 
soms, the  President  said,  with  the  manner  of  one  asking  a 
special  favor:  "  Commodore,  Tad  is  very  fond  of  flowers; 
— won't  you  let  a  couple  of  your  men  take  a  boat  and  so 


MISCELLANEOUS.  Ml 

with  him  for  an  hour  or  two  along  shore,  and  gather  a  fewl 
It  will  be  a  great  gratification  to  him." 


An  Interesting   Story — Lincoln  at  the    Five   Points'   House   of  In- 
dustry in  New  York. 

When  Mr.  Lincoln  visited  New  York  in  1860,  he  felt  a 
great  interest  in  many  of  the  institutions  for  reforming 
criminals  and  saving  the  young  from  a  life  of  crime. 
Among  others,  he  visited,  unattended,  the  Five  Points' 
House  of  Industry,  and  the  Superintendent  of  the  Sabbath- 
school  there  gave  the  following  account  of  the  event : 

"  One  Sunday  morning,  I  saw  a  tall,  remarkable-looking 
man  enter  the  room  and  take  a  seat  among  us.  He  lis- 
tened with  fixed  attention  to  our  exercises,  and  his  coun- 
tenance expressed  such  genuine  interest  that  I  approached 
him  and  suggested  that  he  might  be  willing  to  say  some- 
thing to  the  children.  He  accepted  the  invitation  with  evi- 
dent pleasure;  and,  coming  forward,  began  a  simple  address, 
which  at  once  fascinated  every  little  hearer  and  hushed  the 
room  into  silence.  His  language  was  strikingly  beautiful, 
and  his  tones  musical  with  inten&.  feeling.  The  little  faces 
would  droop  into  sad  conviction  as  he  uttered  sentences  of 
warning,  and  would  brighten  into  sunshine  as  he  spoke 
cheerful  words  of  promise.  Once  or  twice  he  attempted  to 
close  his  remarks,  but  the  imperative  shout  of  'Goon! 
Oh,  do  go  on!'  would  compel  him  to  resume. 

As  I  looked  upon  the  gaunt  and  sinewy  frame  of  the 
stranger,  and  marked  his  powerful  head  and  determined 
features,  now  touched  into  softness  by  the  impressions  of 
the  moment,  I  felt  an  irrepressible  curiosity  to  learn  some- 
thing more  about  him,  and  while  he  was  quietly  leaving  the 
room  I  begged  to  know  his  name.  He  courteously  replied: 
'  It  is  Abraham  Lincoln,  from  Illinois.' " 
11 


162  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

Lincoln  and  His  New  Hat. 

Mr.  G.  B.  Lincoln  tells  of  an  amusing  circumstance 
which  took  place  at  Springfield  soon  after  Mr.  Lincoln's 
nomination  in  1860.  A  hatter  in  Brooklyn  secretly 
obtained  the  size  of  the  future  President's  head,  and  made 
for  him  a  very  elegant  hat,  which  he  sent  by  his  townsman, 
Lincoln,  to  Springfield.  About  the  time  it  was  presented, 
various  other  testimonials  of  a  similar  character  had  come 
in  from  different  sections.  Mr.  Lincoln  took  the  hat,  and 
after  admiring  its  texture  and  workmanship,  put  it  on  his 
head  and  walked  up  to  a  looking-glass.  Glancing  from  the 
reflection  to  Mrs.  Lincoln,  he  said,  with  his  peculiar  twinkle 
of  the  eye,  "Well,  wife,  there  is  one  thing  likely  to  come 
out  of  this  scrape,  any  how.  "We  are  going  to  have  some 
new  clothes/" 


Lincoln's  Feat  at  the  Washington  Navy  Yard  With  an  Axe. 

One  afternoon  during  the  Summer  of  1S62,  the  President 
accompanied  several  gentlemen  to  the  Washington  Navy 
Yard,  to  witness  some  experiments  with  a  newly-invented 
gun.  Subsequently  the  party  went  aboard  of  one  of  the 
steamers  lying  at  the  wharf.  A  discussion  was  going  on 
as  to  the  merits  of  the  invention,  in  the  midst  of  which  Mr. 
Lincoln  caught  sight  of  some  axes  hanging  up  outside  of 
the  cabin.  Leaving  the  group,  he  quietly  went  forward, 
and  taking  one  down,  returned  with  it,  and  said: 

"  Gentlemen,  you  may  talk  about  your  '  Raphael  repeat- 
ers '  and  '  eieven-inch  Dahlgrens;'  h\xt  here  is  an  institution 
which  I  guess  I  understand  better  than  either  of  you." 
With  that  he  held  the  axe  out  at  arm's  length  by  the  end  of 
the  handle,  or  ''helve,"  as  the  wood-cutters  call  it — a  feat 
not  another  person  of  the  party  could  perform,  though  all 
made  the  attempt. 


MISCELLANEOUS.  163 

In  such  acts  as  this,  showing  that  he  neither  forgot  nor 
was  ashamed  of  his  humble  origin,  the  good  President  ex- 
hibited his  true  nobility  of  character.  He  was  a  perfect 
illustration  of  his  favorite  poet's  words  : 

■*  The  rank  is  but  the  guinea's  stamp, 
The  man's  the  gold,  for  a'  that!" 


Lincoln's  Failure  as  a  Merchant — He,  However,  S1k  Years  Later 
Pays  the  "  National  Debt." 

It  is  interesting  to  recall  the  fact  that  at  one  time  Mr. 
Lincoln  seriously  took  into  consideration  the  project  of 
learning  the  blacksmith's  trade.  He  was  without  means, 
and  felt  the  immediate  necessity  of  undertaking  some  busi- 
ness that  would  give  him  bread.  It  was  while  he  was  en- 
tertaining  this  project  that  an  event  occurred  which,  in  his 
undeterminded  state  of  mind,  seemed  to  open  a  way  to 
success  in  another  quarter. 

A  man  named  Reuben  Radford,  the  keeper  of  a  small 
store  in  the  Village  of  New  Salem,  had  somehow  incurred 
the  displeasure  of  the  Clary's  Grove  Boys,  who  had  exer- 
cised their  "regulating  "  prerogatives  by  irregularly  break- 
ing in  his  windows.  William  G.  Greene,  a  friend  of  young 
Lincoln,  riding  by  Radford's  store  soon  afterward,  was 
hailed  by  him,  and  told  that  he  intended  to  sell  out.  Mr. 
Greene  went  into  the  store,  and,  looking  around,  offered  him 
at  random  four  hundred  dollars  for  his  stock.  The  offer 
was  immediately  accepted. 

Lincoln  happening  in  the  next  day,  and  being  familiar 
with  the  value  of  the  goods,  Mr.  Greene  proposed  to  him 
to  take  an  inventory  of  the  stock,  and  see  what  sort  of  a 
bargain  he  had  made.  This  he  did,  and  it  was  found  that 
the  goods  were  worth  six  hundred  dollars.  Lincoln  then 
made  him  an  offer  of  a  hundred  and  twenty -five  dollars  for 


164  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

his  bargain,  with  the  proposition  that  he  and  a  man  named 
Berry,  as  his  partner,  should  take  his  (Greene's)  place  in  the 
notes  given  to  Radford.  Mr.  Greene  agreed  to  the  arrange- 
ment, but  Radford  declined  it,  except  on  condition  that 
Greene  would  be  their  security,  and  this  he  at  last  as- 
sented  to. 

Berry  proved  to  be  a  dissipated,  trifling  man,  and  the 
business  soon  became  a  wreck.  Mr.  Greene  was  obliged  to 
go  in  and  help  Lincoln  close  it  up,  and  not  only  do  this 
but  pay  Radford's  notes.  All  that  young  Lincoln  won 
from  the  store  was  some  very  valuable  experience,  and  the 
burden  of  a  debt  to  Greene  which,  in  conversations  with  the 
latter,  he  always  spoke  of  as  the  National  debt.  But  this 
national  debt,  unlike  the  majority  of  those  which  bear  the 
title,  was  paid  to  the  uttermost  farthing  in  after  years. 

Six  years  afterwards,  Mr.  Greene,  who  knew  nothing  of 
the  law  in  such  cases,  and  had  not  troubled  himself  to  in- 
quire about  it,  and  who  had  in  the  meantime  removed  to 
Tennessee,  received  notice  from  Mr.  Lincoln  that  he  was 
ready  to  pay  him  what  he  had  paid  for  Berry — he  (Lincoln) 
being  legally  bound  to  pay  the  liabilities  of  his  partner. 


Funeral   Services  of  Lincoln's  Mother — The  Old   Pastor  and 

Young  Abraham — A  Remarkable 

Service. 

Several  months  after  the  death  of  Lincoln's  mother 
which  occurred  when  he  was  but  a  few  years  old,  child  as 
he  was,  he  wrote  to  Parson  Elkin  who  had  been  their  pas- 
tor when  residing  in  Kentucky,  begging  him  to  come  to 
Indiana,  and  preach  her  funeral  sermon. 

This  was  asking  a  great  favor  of  their  former  minister, 
for  it  would  require  him  to  ride  on  horseback  a  hundred 
miles  through  the  wilderness;  and  it  is  something  to  be  re- 


MISCELLANEOUS.  165 

membered  to  the  humble  itinerant's  honor  that  he  was  will- 
ing to  pay  this  tribute  of  respect  to  the  woman  who  had  so 
thoroughly  honored  him  and  his  sacred  office.  He  replied 
to  Abraham's  invitation,  that  he  would  preach  the  sermon 
on  a  certain  future  Sunday,  and  gave  him  liberty  to  notify 
the  neighbors  of  the  promised  service. 

As  the  appointed  day  approached,  notice  was  given  to 
the  whole  neighborhood,  embracing  every  family  within 
twenty  miles.  ■  Neighbor  carried  the  notice  to  neighbor.  It 
was  scattered  from  every  little  school.  There  was  probably 
not  a  family  that  did  not  receive  intelligence  of  the  anx- 
iously-anticipated event. 

On  a  bright  Sabbath  morning,  the  settlers  of  the  region 
started  for  the  cabin  of  the  Lincolns;  and,  as  they  gathered 
in,  they  presented  a  picture  worthy  the  pencil  of  the 
worthiest  painter.  Some  came  in  carts  of  the  rudest  con- 
struction, their  wheels  consisting  of  sections  of  the  huge 
boles  of  forest  trees,  and  every  other  member  the  product 
of  the  axe  and  auger;  some  came  on  horseback,  two  or 
three  upon  a  horse;  others  came  in  wagons  drawn  by  oxen, 
and  still  others  came  on  foot.  Two  hundred  persons  in  all 
were  assembled  when  Parson  Elkin  came  out  from  the  Lin- 
coln cabin,  accompanied  by  the  little  family,  and  proceeded 
to  the  tree  under  which  the  precious  dust  of  a  wife  and 
mother  was  buried. 

The  congregation,  seated  upon  stumps  and  logs  around 
the  grave,  received  the  preacher  and  the  mourning  family 
in  a  silence  broken  only  by  the  songs  of  birds,  and  the  mur- 
mur of  insects,  or  the  creaking  cart  of  some  late  comer. 
Taking  his  stand  at  the  foot  of  the  grave,  Parson  Elkin 
lifted  his  voice  in  prayer  and  sacred  song,  and  then  preached 
a  sermon. 

The  occasion,  the  eager  faces  around  him,  and  all  the 
sweet  influences  of  the  morning,  inspired  him  with  an  un- 


166  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

usual  fluency  and  fervor;  and  the  flickering  sunlight,  as  it 
glanced  through  the  wind-parted  leaves,  caught  many  a 
tear  upon  the  bronzed  cheeks  of  his  auditors,  while  father 
and  son  were  overcome  by  the  revival  of  their  great  grief. 
He  spoke  of  the  precious  Christian  woman  who  had  gone 
with  the  warm  praise  which  she  deserved,  and  held  her  up 
as  an  example  of  true  womanhood. 

Those  who  knew  the  tender  and  reverent  spirit  of  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  later  in  life,  will  not  doubt  that  he  returned 
to  his  cabin-home  deeply  impressed  by  all  that  he  had 
heard.  It  was  the  rounding  up  for  him  of  the  influences 
of  a  Christian  mother's  life  and  teachings.  It  recalled  her 
sweet  and  patient  example,  her  assiduous  efforts  to  inspire 
him  with  pure  and  noble  motives,  her  simple  instructions 
in  divine  truth,  her  devoted  love  for  him,  and  the  motherly 
offices  she  had  rendered  him  during  all  his  tender  years. 
His  character  was  planted  in  this  Christian  mother's  life. 
Its  roots  were  fed  by  this  Christian  mother's  love;  and 
those  that  have  wondered  at  the  truthfulness  and  earnest- 
ness of  his  mature  character,  have  only  to  remember  that 
the  tree  was  true  to  the  soil  from  which  it  sprung. 


Something   Concerning  Mr.  Lincoln's  Religious  Views. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Willets,  of  Brooklyn,  gives  an  account  of  a 
conversation  with  Mr.  Lincoln,  on  the  part  of  a  lady  of  his 
acquaintance,  connected  with  the  "  Christian  Commission," 
who  in  the  prosecution  of  her  duties  had  several  interviews 
with  him. 

The  President,  it  seemed,  had  been  much  impressed  with 
the  devotion  and  earnestness  of  purpose  manifested  by  the 
lady,  and  on  one  occasion,  after  she  had  discharged  the 
object  of  her  visit,  he  said  to  her : 

"  Mrs. ,  I  have  formed  a  high  opinion  of  your  Chris' 


MISCELLANEOUS.  107 

tian  character,  and  now,  as  we  are  alone,  T  have  a  mind  to 
ask  you  to  give  me,  in  brief,  your  idea  of  what  constitutes 
a  true  religious  experience." 

The  lady  replied  at  some  length,  stating  that,  in  her 
judgment,  it  consisted  of  a  conviction  of  one's  own  sinful- 
ness and  weakness,  and  personal  need  of  the  Saviour  for 
strength  and  support;  that  views  of  mere  doctrine  might 
and  would  differ,  but  when  one  was  really  brought  to  feel 
his  need  of  Divine  help,  and  to  seek  the  aid  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  for  strength  and  guidance,  it  was  satisfactory  evidence 
of  his  having  been  born  again.  This  was  the  substance  of 
her  reply. 

When  she  had  concluded,  Mr.  Lincoln  was  very  thought- 
ful for  a  few  moments.  He  at  length  said,  very  earnestly, 
"  If  what  you  have  told  me  is  really  a  correct  view  of  this 
great  subject,  I  think  I  can  say  with  sincerit}',  that  I  hope 
I  am  a  Christian.  1  had  lived,"  he  continued,  "  until  my 
boy  "Willie  died,  without  realizing  fully  these  things.  That 
blow  overwhelmed  me.  It  showed  me  my  weakness  as  I 
had  never  felt  it  before,  and  if  I  can  take  what  you  have 
stated  as  a  test,  I  think  I  can  safely  say  that  1  know  some- 
thing of  that  change  of  which  you  speak;  and  1  will  fur- 
ther add,  that  it  has  been  my  intention  for  some  time,  at  a 
suitable  opportunity,  to  make  a  public  religious  profession." 


Thurlow  Weed's  Recollections. 

In  a  letter  to  the  New  York  Lincoln  Club,  Thurlow 
Weed  remarks:  I  went  to  the  Whig  National  Convention, 
at  Chicago,  in  1860,  warmly  in  favor  of  and  confidently  ex- 
pecting the  nomination  of  Governor  Seward.  That  disap- 
pointment of  long-cherished  hopes  was  a  bitter  one.  I  then 
accepted,  very  reluctantly,  an  invitation  to  visit  Mr.  Lincoln 
a"  his  residence  in  Springfield,  where,  in  an  interesting  con- 


168  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

versation,  even  while  smarting  under  the  sense  of  injustice 
to  Mr.  Seward,  confidence  in  Mr.  Lincoln's  good  sense,  ca- 
pacity and  fidelity  was  inspired. 

A  campaign  programme  was  agreed  upon,  and,  returning 
to  Albany,  I  went  to  work  as  zealously  and  as  cheerfully  as 
I  should  have  done  with  Mr.  Seward  as  our  Presidential 
nominee.  Mr.  Lincoln's  inauguration  simultaneously  in- 
augurated rebellion.  Events  soon  proved  that  the  Chicago 
Convention  had  been  wisely  if  not  providentially  guided. 
The  country  in  its  greatest  emergency  had,  what  it  so 
greatly  needed,  the  services  of  two,  instead  of  one,  of  its 
greatest  and  best  men.  With  Lincoln  as  President  and 
Seward  as  Secretary  of  State,  the  right  men  were  in  the 
right  places. 

With  ample  opportunities  to  study  the  character  of  Abra- 
ham Lincoln,  I  never  hesitated  in  declaring  that  his  sense 
of  public  and  private  duty  and  honor  was  as  high  and  his 
patriotism  as  devoted  as  that  of  George  Washington. 

Their  names  and  their  memories  should  descend  to  future 
generations  as  examples  worthy  of  imitation. 


An  Amusing  Illustration. 

One  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  illustrations  given  by  him  on  one 
occasion  was  that  of  a  man  who,  in  driving  the  hoops  of  a 
hogshead  to  "  hf;ad  "  it  up,  was  much  annoyed  by  the  con- 
stant falling  in  of  the  top.  At  length  the  bright  idea 
struck  him  of  putting  his  little  boy  inside  to  "  hold  it  up." 
This  he  did;  it  never  occurring  to  him  till  the  job  was 
done,  how  he  was  to  get  his  child  out.  "This,"  said  Lin- 
coln, "  is  a  fair  sample  of  the  way  some  people  always  de 
business." 


MISCELLANEOUS.  169 

A  Couple   of  Good   Stories — How   Lincoln  took   His   Altitude — 
A  Prophetic   Bowl   of  Milk. 

Soon  after  Mr.  Lincoln's  nomination  for  the  Presidency, 
the  Executive  Chamber,  a  large  line  room  in  the  State 
House  at  Springfield  was  set  apart  for  him,  where  he  met 
the  public  until  after  his  election. 

As  illustrative  of  the  nature  of  many  of  his  calls,  the 
following  brace  of  incidents  were  related  to  Mr.  Holland 
by  an  eye  witness:  "  Mr.  Lincoln,  being  seated  in  conversa- 
tion with  a  gentleman  one  day,  two  raw,  plainly-dressed 
young  '  Suckers  '  entered  the  room,  and  bashfully  lingered 
near  the  door.  As  soon  as  he  observed  them,  and  appre- 
hended their  embarrassment,  he  rose  and  walked  to  them, 
saying,  "  How  do  you  do,  my  good  fellows  ?  What  can  I 
do  for  you  ?  Will  you  sit  down  ?"  The  spokesman  of  the 
pair,  the  shorter  of  the  two,  declined  to  sit,  and  explained 
the  object  of  the  call  thus:  he  had  had  a  talk  about  the 
relative  height  of  Mr.  Lincoln  and  his  companion,  and  had 
asserted  his  belief  that  they  were  of  exactly  the  same  height. 
He  had  come  in  to  verify  his  judgment.  Mr.  Lincoln 
smiled,  went  and  got  his  cane,  and,  placing  the  end  of  it 
upon  the  wall,  said: 

"  Here,  young  man,  come  under  here." 

The  young  man  came  under  the  cane,  as  Mr.  Lincoln  held 
it,  and  when  it  was  perfectly  adjusted  to  his  height,  Mr. 
Lincoln  said: 

"Now,  come  out,  and  hold  up  the  cane." 

This  he  did  while  Mr.  Lincoln  stepped  under.  Eubbing 
his  head  back  and  forth  to  see  that  it  worked  easily  under 
the  measurement,  he  stepped  out,  and  declared  to  the  saga- 
cious fellow  who  was  curiously  looking  on,  that  he  had 
guessed  with  remarkable  accuracy — that  he  and  the  young 
man  were  exactly  of  the  same  height.  Then  he  shook  hands 
with  them  and  sent  them  on  their  way.     Mr.  Lincoln  would 


170  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

just  as  soon  have  thought  of  cutting  off  his  right  hand  as 
he  would  have  thought  of  turning  those  boys  away  with  the 
impression  that  they  had  in  any  way  insulted  his  dignity. 

They  had  hardly  disappeared  when  an  old  and  modestly- 
dressed  woman  made  her  appearance.  She  knew  Mr.  Lin- 
coln, but  Mr.  Lincoln  did  not  at  first  recognize  her  Then 
she  undertook  to  recall  to  his  memory  certain  incidents  con- 
nected with  his  rides  upon  the  circuit — especially  his  dining 
at  her  house  upon  the  road  at  different  times.  Then  he  re- 
membered her  and  her  home.  Having  fixed  her  own  place 
in  his  recollection,  she  tried  to  recall  to  him  a  certain  scanty 
dinner  of  bread  and  milk  that  he  once  ate  at  her  house.  He 
could  not  remember  it — on  the  contrary,  he  only  remem- 
bered that  he  had  always  fared  well  at  her  house. 

"  Well,"  said  she,  "  one  day  you  came  along  after  we  had 
got  through  dinner,  and  we  had  eaten  up  everything,  and  I 
could  give  you  nothing  but  a  bowl  of  bread  and  milk;  and 
you  ate  it;  and  when  you  got  up  you  said  it  was  good 
enough  for  the  President  of  the  United  States!" 

The  good  woman  had  come  in  from  the  country 
making  a  journey  of  eight  or  ten  miles,  to  relate  to  Mr. 
Lincoln  this  incident,  which,  in  her  mind,  had  doubtless 
taken  the  form  of  prophecy.  Mr.  Lincoln  placed  the  hon- 
est creature  at  her  ease,  chatted  with  her  of  old  times,  and 
dismissed  her  in  the  most  happy  and  complacent  frame  of 
mind. 


Lincoln's    Love  for  the   Little   Ones. 

Soon  after  his  election  as  President  and  while  visiting 
Chicago,  one  evening  at  a  social  gathering  Mr.  Lincoln  saw 
a  little  girl  timidly  approaching  him.  He  at  once  called 
her  to  him,  and  asked  the  little  girl  what  she  wished. 

She  replied  that  she  wanted  his  name. 


MISCELLANEOUS.  173 

Mr.  Lincoln  looked  back  into  the  room  and  said :  "  But 
here  are  other  little  girls — they  would  feel  badly  if  I  should 
give  my  name  only  to  you." 

The  little  girl  replied  that  there  were  eight  of  them  in  all. 

"  Then,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln,  "get  me  eight  sheets  of  paper, 
and  a  pen  and  ink,  and  I  will  see  what  I  can  do  for  you." 

The  paper  was  brought,  and  Mr.  Lincoln  sat  down  in  the 
crowded  drawing-room,  and  wrote  a  sentence  upon  each 
sheet,  appending  his  name;  and  thus  every  little  girl  car- 
ried off  her  souvenir. 

During  the  same  visit  and  while  giving  a  reception  at  one 
of  the  hotels,  a  fond  father  took  in  a  little  boy  by  the  hand 
who  was  anxious  to  see  the  new  President.  The  moment 
the  child  entered  the  parlor  door  he,  of  his  own  accord  and 
quite  to  the  surprise  of  his  father,  took  off  his  hat,  and,  giv- 
ing it  a  swing,  cried:  "  Hurrah  for  Lincoln  !  "  There  was 
a  crowd,  but  as  soon  as  Mr.  Lincoln  could  get  hold  of  the 
little  fellow,  he  lifted  him  in  his  hands,  and,  tossing  him 
towards  the  ceiling,  laughingly  shouted:  "Hurrah  for 
you  ! " 

It  was  evidently  a  refreshing  incident  to  Lincoln  in  the 
dreary  work  of  hand-shaking. 


An  Interesting  Anecdote  of  Lincoln  Related  by  Rev.  J.  P.  Gulliver. 

On  the  morning  following  Lincoln's  speech,  in  Norwich, 
Conn.,  Mr.  Gulliver  met  Mr.  Lincoln  upon  a  train  of  cars, 
and  entered  into  conversation  with  him.  In  speaking  of 
his  speech,  Mr.  Gulliver  remarked  to  Mr.  Lincoln  that  he 
thought  it  the  most  remarkable  one  he  ever  heard. 

"  Are  you  sincere  in  what  you  say?  "  inquired  Mr.  Lin- 
coln. 

"  I  mean  every  word  of  it,"  replied  the  minister.  "  In- 
deed, sir,"  he  continued,  "  I  learned  more  of  the  art  of 


174  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

public  speaking  last  evening  than  I  could  from  a  whole 
course  of  lectures  on  rhetoric." 

Then  Mr.  Lincoln  informed  him  of  "  a  most  extraordinary 
circumstance  "  that  occurred  at  New  Haven  a  few  days 
previously.  A  professor  of  rhetoric  in  Yale  College,  he 
had  been  told,  came  to  hear  him,  took  notes  of  his  speech, 
and  gave  a  lecture  on  it  to  his  class  the  following  day;  and, 
not  satisfied  with  that,  followed  him  to  Meriden  the  next 
evening,  and  heard  him  again  for  the  same  purpose.  All 
this  seemed  to  Mr.  Lincoln  to  be  "  very  extraordinary." 
He  had  been  sufficiently  astonished  by  his  success  at  the 
the  West,  but  he  had  no  expectation  of  any  marked  success 
at  the  East,  particularly  among  literary  and  learned   men. 

"  Now,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln,  "  I  should  very  much  like  to 
know  what  it  was  in  my  speech  which  you  thought  so  re- 
markable, and  which  interested  my  friend  the  professor  so 
much?" 

Mr.  Gulliver's  answer  was,  "  The  clearness  of  your 
statements,  the  unanswerable  style  of  your  reasoning,  and, 
especially,  your  illustrations,  which  were  romance  and 
pathos  and  fun  and  logic  all  welded  together." 

After  Mr.  Gulliver  had  fully  satisfied  his  curiosity  by  a 
further  exposition  of  the  politician's  peculiar  power,  Mr. 
Lincoln  said: 

"  I  am  much  obliged  to  you  for  this.  I  have  been  wish- 
ing for  a  long  time  to  find  some  one  who  would  make  this 
analysis  for  me.  It  throws  light  on  a  subject  which  has 
been  dark  to  me.  I  can  understand  very  readily  how  such 
a  power  as  you  have  ascribed  to  me  will  account  for  the 
effect  which  seems  to  be  produced  by  my  speeches.  I  hope 
you  have  not  been  too  flattering  in  your  estimate.  Cer- 
tainly, I  have  had  a  most  wonderful  success  for  a  man  of 
my  limited  education." 


MISCELLANEOUS.  175 

A  Lincoln  Story  about  Little  Dan  Webster's  Soiled  Hands ! — How 
Dan  Escaped  a  Flogging. 

Mr.  Lincoln,  on  one  occasion  narrated  to  Hon.  Mr. 
Odell  and  others,  with  much  zest,  the  following  story  about 
young  Daniel  Webster  : 

When  quite  young,  at  school,  Daniel  was  one  day  guilty 
of  a  gross  violation  of  the  rules.  He  was  detected  in  the 
act,  and  called  up  by  the  teacher  for  punishment.  This  was 
to  be  the  old-fashioned  "feruling"  of  the  hand.  His 
hands  happended  to  be  very  dirty.  Knowing  this,  on  his 
way  to  the  teacher's  desk,  he  spit  upon  the  palm  of  his  right 
hand,  wiping  it  off  upon  the  side  of  his  pantaloons. 

"  Give  me  your  hand,  sir,"  said  the  teacher,  very  sternly. 

Out  went  the  right  hand,  partly  cleansed.  The  teacher 
looked  at  it  a  moment,  and  said: 

"  Daniel !  if  you  will  find  another  hand  in  this  school-room 
as  filthy  as  that,  I  will  let  you  off  this  time!" 

Instantly  from  behind  his  back  came  the  left  hand. 
"  Here  it  is,  sir,"  was  the  ready  reply. 

"  That  will  do,"  said  the  teacher,  "for  this  time;  you  can 
take  your  seat,  sir." 


Lincoln  and  the  Little  Baby— A  Touching  Story. 

"  Old  Daniel,"  who  was  one  of  the  White  House  ushers, 
is  responsible  for  the  following  touching  story: 

A  poor  woman  from  Philadelphia  had  been  waiting  with 
a  baby  in  her  arms  for  several  days  to  see  the  President. 
It  appeared  by  her  story,  that  her  husband  had  furnished  a 
substitute  for  the  army,  but  sometime  afterward,  in  a  state 
of  intoxication,  was  induced  to  enlist.  Upon  reaching  the 
post  assigned  his  regiment,  he  deserted,  thinking  the  gov- 
ernment was  not  entitled  to  his  services.  Returning  home, 
he  was  arrested,  tried,  convicted,  and  sentenced  to  be  shot. 


176  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

The  sentence  was  to  be  executed  on  a  Saturday.  On 
Monday  his  wife  left  her  home  with  her  baby,  to  endeavor 
to  see  the  President. 

Said  Daniel,  "  She  had  been  waiting  here  three  days,  and 
there  was  no  chance  for  her  to  get  in.  Late  in  the  afternoon 
of  the  third  day,  the  President  was  going  through  the  passage 
to  his  private  room  to  get  a  cup  of  tea.  On  the  way  he 
heard  the  baby  cry.  He  instantly  went  back  to  his  office 
and  rang  the  bell. 

"  Daniel,"  said  he,  "  is  there  a  woman  with  a  baby  in  the 
ante-room?" 

I  said  there  was,  and  if  he  would  allow  me  to  say  it,  it 
was  a  case  he  ought  to  see ;  for  it  was  a  matter  of  life  and 
death. 

Said  he,  "  Send  her  to  me  at  once." 

She  went  in,  told  her  story,  and  the  President  pardoned 
her  husband. 

As  the  woman  came  out  from  his  presence,  her  eyes  were 
lifted  and  her  lips  moving  in  prayer,  the  tears  streaming 
down  her  cheeks." 

Said  Daniel,  "  I  went  up  to  her,  and  pulling  her  shawl, 
said,  '  Madam,  it  was  the  baby  that  did  it.'1  " 


D.  L.  Moody's  Story  of  Lincoln's  Compassion — What  a  Little  Girl 
Did  with  Mr.  Lincoln  to  Save  Her  Brother. 

During  the  war,  says  D.  L.  Moody,  I  remember  a  young 
man,  not  twenty,  who  was  court-martialed  at  the  front 
and  sentenced  to  be  shot.  The  story  was  this:  The  young 
fellow  had  enlisted.  He  was  not  obliged  to,  but  he  went 
off  with  another  young  man.  They  were  what  we  would 
call  "chums."  One  night  his  companion  was  ordered  out 
on  picket  duty,  and  he  asked  the  young  man  to  go  for  him. 
The  next  night  he  was  ordered  out  himself;  and  having 


MISCELLANEOUS.  177 

been  awake  two  nights,  and  not  being  used  to  it,  fell  asleep 
at  his  post,  and  for  the  offense  he  was  tried  and  sentenced  to 
death.  It  was  right  after  the  order  issued  by  the  President 
that  no  interference  would  be  allowed  in  cases  of  this  kind. 
This  sort  of  thing  had  become  too  frequent,  and  it  must  be 
stopped.  When  the  news  reached  the  father  and  mother  in 
Vermont  it  nearly  broke  their  hearts.  The  thought  that 
their  son  should  be  shot  was  too  great  for  them.  Thev  had 
no  hope  that  he  would  be  saved  by  anything  they  could  do. 
But  they  had  a  little  daughter  who  had  read  the  life  of 
Abraham  Lincoln,  and  knew  how  he  had  loved  his  own 
children,  and  she  said  :  "  If  Abraham  Lincoln  knew  how 
my  father  and  mother  loved  my  brother  he  wouldn't  let  him 
be  shot."  That  little  girl  thought  this  matter  over  and 
made  up  her  mind  to  see  the  President.  She  went  to  the 
White  House,  and  the  sentinel,  when  he  saw  her  imploring 
looks,  passed  her  in,  and  when  she  came  to  the  door  and 
told  the  private  secretary  that  she  wanted  to  see  the  Presi- 
dent, he  could  not  refuse  her.  She  came  into  the  chamber 
and  found  Abraham  Lincoln  surrounded  by  his  generals 
and  counselors,  and  when  he  saw  the  little  country  girl  he 
asked  her  what  she  wanted.  The  little  maid  told  her  plain, 
simple  story — how  her  brother,  whom  her  father  and 
mother  loved  very  dearly,  had  been  sentenced  to  be  shot ; 
how  they  were  mourning  for  him,  and  if  he  was  to  die  in 
that  way  it  would  break  their  hearts.  The  President's 
heart  was  touched  with  compassion,  and  he  immediately 
sent  a  dispatch  canceling  the  sentence  and  giving  the  boy  a 
parole  so  that  he  could  come  home  and  see  that  father  and 
mother.  I  just  tell  you  this  to  show  you  how  Abraham 
Lincoln's  heart  was  moved  by  compassion  for  the  sorrow  of 
that  father  and  mother,  and  if  he  showed  so  much  do  you 
think  the  Son  of  God  will  not  have  compassion  upon  you, 
sinner,  if  you  only  take  that  crushed,  bruised  heart  to  Him  ? 
12 


176  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

Lincoln  Joking  Douglas— A  Splendid  "  Whisky  Cask.'' 

On  one  occasion,  when  Lincoln  and  Douglas  were  "stump- 
ing" the  State  of  Illinois  together  as  political  opponents, 
Douglas,  who  had  the  first  speech,  remarked  that  in  early 
life,  his  father,  who  he  said  was  an  excellent  cooper  by- 
trade,  apprenticed  him  out  to  learn  the  cabinet  business. 

This  was  too  good  for  Lincoln  to  let  pass,  so  when  his 
turn  came  to  reply,  he  said : 

"  I  had  understood  before  that  Mr.  Douglas  had  been 
bound  out  to  learn  the  cabinet-making  business,  which  is 
all  well  enough,  but  I  was  not  aware  until  now  that  his 
father  was  a  cooper.  I  have  no  doubt,  however,  that  he  was 
one,  and  I  am  certain,  also,  that  he  was  a  very  good  one, 
for  ( here  Lincoln  gently  bowed  toward  Douglas )  he  has 
made  one  of  the  best  whisky  casks  I  have  ever  seen." 

As  Douglas  was  a  short  heavy-set  man,  and  occasionally 
imbibed,  the  pith  of  the  joke  was  at  once  apparent,  and 
most  heartily  enjoyed  by  all. 

On  another  occasion,  Douglas  in  one  of  his  speeches, 
made  a  strong  point  against  Lincoln  by  telling  the  crowd 
that  when  he  first  knew  Mr.  Lincoln  he  was  a  "  grocery- 
keeper,  "  and  sold  whisky,  cigars,  etc.  "  Mr.  L.,"  he  said, 
"was  a  very  good  bar-tender/"  This  brought  the  laugh 
on  Lincoln,  whose  reply,  however,  soon  came,  and  then  the 
laugh  was  on  the  other  side. 

"  What  Mr.  Douglas  has  said,  gentlemen,"  replied  Mr. 
Lincoln,  "is  true  enough;  I  did  keep  a  grocery  and  I  did 
sell  cotton,  candles  and  cigars,  and  sometimes  whisky;  but 
I  remember  in  those  days  that  Mr.  Douglas  was  one  of  my- 
best  customers! 

"  Many  a  time  have  I  stood  on  one  side  of  the  counter  and 
sold  whisky  to  Douglas  on  the  other  side,  but  the  difference 
between  us  now  is  this:  1  have  left  my  side  of  the  counter, 
but  Mr.  Douglas  still  sticks  to  his  as  tenaciously  as  ever !  " 


MISCELLANEOUS.  179 

Lincoln's   Life    as    Written  by  Himself — The  Whole  Thing  in  a 

Nut  Shell. 

The  compiler  of  the  "  Dictionary  of  Congress  "  states 
that  while  preparing  that  work  for  publication  in  1858,  he 
sent  to  Mr.  Lincoln  the  usual  request  for  a  sketch  of  his 
life,  and  received  the  following  reply  : 

"Born  February  12,  1809,  in  Hardin  County,  Ken- 
tucky." 

" Education  Defective."  " Profession  a  Lawyer "  "Have 
been  a  Captain  of  Volunteers  in  Black  Hawk  War." 
"  Postmaster  at  a  very  small  office."  "  Four  times  a  member 
of  the  Illinois  Legislature,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
Lower  House  of  Congress."         Yours,  etc. 

"A.  Lincoln." 


How  Lincoln  Won  a  Case  from  his  Partner — Laughable  Toilet 

Ignorance. 

While  Judge  Logan,  of  Springfield,  111.,  was  Lincoln's 
partner,  two  farmers,  who  had  a  misunderstanding  respect- 
ing a  horse  trade,  went  to  law.  By  mutual  consent  the 
partners  in  law  became  antagonists  in  this  case.  On  the 
day  of  the  trial  Mr.  Logan,  having  bought  a  new  shirt, 
open  in  the  back,  with  a  huge  standing  collar,  dressed  him- 
self in  extreme  haste,  and  put  on  the  shirt  with  the  bosom 
at  the  back,  a  linen  coat  concealing  the  blunder.  He  dazed 
the  jury  with  his  knowledge  of  "  horse  points,"  and  as  the 
day  was  sultry,  took  off  his  coat  and  summed  up  in  his 
shirt-sleeves. 

Lincoln  sitting  behind  him,  took  in  the  situation,  and 
when  his  turn  came,  remarked  to  the  jury: 

"  Gentlemen,  Mr.  Logan  has  been  trying  for  over  an  hour 
to  make  you  believe  he  knows  more  about  a  horse  than 
these  honest  old  farmers  who  are  witnesses.     He  has  quoted 


180  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

largely  from  his  '  horse  doctor,'  and  now,  gentlemen,  I  sub. 
mit  to  you,  (here  he  lifted  Logan  out  of  his  chair,  and 
turned  him  with  his  back  to  the  jury  and  the  crowd,  at  the 
same  time  nipping  up  the  enormous  standing  collar)  what 
dependence  can  you  place  in  his  horse  knowledge  when  he 
has  not  sense  enough  to  put  on  his  shirt  f  " 

The  roars  of  laughter  that  greeted  this  exhibition,  and 
the  verdict  that  Lincoln  got  soon  after,  gave  Logan  a  per- 
manent prejudice  against  "bosom  shirts." 


Little  Lincoln  Stories. 

An  old  Englishman  who  resided  in  Springfield,  Ills., 
hearing  the  results  of  the  Political  Convention  at  Chicago, 
could  not  contain  his  astonishment.  "  What  ! "  said  he, 
"Abe  Lincoln  nominated  for  President  of  the  United 
States  ?  Can  it  be  possible  !  A  man  that  buys  a  ten  cent 
beef-steak  for  his  breakfast,  and  carries  it  home  himself!  " 

Mr.  Lincoln  being  asked  by  a  friend  how  he  felt  when  the 
returns  came  in  that  insured  his  defeat,  replied  that  "  he 
felt,  he  supposed,  very  much  like  the  stripling  who  had 
stumped  his  toe;  too  hadly  to  laugh  and  too  big  to  cry.' 

A  young  man  bred  in  Springfield  speaks  of  a  vision  that 
has  clung  to  his  memory  very  vividly,  of  Mr.  Lincoln  as  he 
appeared  in  those  days.  His  way  to  school  led  by  the 
lawyer's  door.  On  almost  any  fair  summer  morning,  he 
could  find  Mr.  Lincoln  on  the  sidewalk,  in  front  of  his 
house,  drawing  a  child  back  and  forth,  in  a  baby  carriage. 

Mr.  Lincoln  never  made  his  profession  lucrative  to  him- 
self. It  was  very  difficult  for  him  to  charge  a  heavy  fee  to 
anybody,  and  still  more  difficult  for  him  to  charge  his 
friends  anything  at  all  for  professional  services.     To  a  poor 


MISCELLANEOUS.  181 

client,  he  was  quite  as  apt  to  give  money  as  to  take  it  from 
him.  He  never  encouraged  the  spirit  of  litigation.  Henry 
McHenry,  one  of  his  old  clients,  says  that  he  went  to  Mr. 
Lincoln  with  a  case  to  prosecute,  and  that  Mr.  Lincoln 
refused  to  have  anything  to  do  with  it,  because  he  was  not 
strictly  in  the  right.  "  You  can  give  the  other  party  a 
great  deal  of  trouble,"  said  the  lawyer,  "  and  perhaps  beat 
him,  but  you  had  better  let  the  suit  alone." 

From  the  original  manuscript  of  one  of  Mr.  Lincoln's 
speeches,  these  words  are  transferred:  "Twenty-two  years 
ago,  Judge  Douglas  and  I  first  became  acquainted.  We  were 
both  voiin^  then — he  a  trifle  younger  than  I.  Even  then 
we  were  both  ambitious, — I,  perhaps,  quite  as  much  so  as 
he.  With  me,  the  race  of  ambition  has  been  a  failure — a 
flat  failure;  with  him,  it  has  been  one  of  splendid  success. 
His  name  fills  the  nation,  and  is  not  unknown  even  in  for- 
eign lands.  I  affect  no  contempt  for  the  high  eminence  he 
has  reached.  So  reached  that  the  oppressed  of  my  species 
might  have  shared  with  me  in  the  elevation,  I  would  rather 
stand  on  that  eminence  than  wear  the  richest  crown  that 
ever  pressed  a  monarch's  brow." 

In  one  of  Lincoln's  early  speeches  against  slavery  he 
said  :  "  My  distinguished  friend  (Stephen  A.  Douglas)  says, 
it  is  an  insult  to  the  emigrants  to  Kansas  and  Nebraska  to 
suppose  they  are  not  able  to  govern  themselves.  We  must 
not  slur  over  an  argument  of  this  kind  because  it  happens 
to  tickle  the  ear.  It  must  be  met  and  answered.  I  admit 
that  the  emigrant  to  Kansas  and  Nebraska  is  competent  to 
govern  himself,  but  (the  speaker  rising  to  his  full  height), 
/  deny  his  right  to  govern  any  other  person  without  that 
person's  consent"  That  touched  the  very  marrow  of  the 
matter,  and  revealed  the  whole  difference  between  Lincoln 
and  Douglas. 


x89  &IXCOLN  STORIES. 

Lincoln's  Last  Story   and   Last   Written   Words    and  Con- 
versations. 

The  last  story  told  by  Mr.  Lincoln  was  drawn  out  by  a 
circumstance  which  occurred  just  before  the  interview  with 
Messrs.  Colfax  and  Ashmun,  on  the  evening  of  his  assassin- 
ation. 

Marshal  Lamon,  of  Washington,  had  called  upon  him 
with  an  application  for  the  pardon  of  a  soldier.  After  a 
brief  hearing  the  President  took  the  application,  and,  when 
about  to  write  his  name  upon  the  back  of  it,  he  looked  up 
and  said  : 

"  Lamon,  have  you  ever  heard  how  the  PatagTmians  eat 
oysters?  They  open  them  and  throw  the  shells  out  of  the 
window  until  the  pile  gets  higher  than  the  house,  and  then 
they  move;"  adding : 

'  I  feel  to-day  like  commencing  a  new  pile  of  pardons, 
and  I  may  as  well  begin  it  just  here." 

At  the  subsequent  interview  with  Messrs.  Colfax  and 
Ashmun,  Mr.  Lincoln  was  in  high  spirits.  The  uneasiness 
felt  by  his  friends  during  his  visit  to  Richmond  was  dwelt 
upon,  when  he  sportively  replied  that  he  "supposed  he 
should  have  been  uneasy  also,  had  any  other  man  been  Pres- 
ident and  gone  there;  but  as  it  was,  he  felt  no  apprehension 
of  danger  whatever."  Turning  to  Speaker  Colfax,  he 
said  : 

tl  Sumner  has  the  '  gavel '  of  the  Confederate  Congress, 
which  he  got  at  Richmond,  and  intended  giving  it  to  the 
Secretary  of  War,  but  I  insisted  he  must  give  it  to  you, 
and  you  tell  him  from  me  to  hand  it  over." 

Mr.  Ashmun,  who  was  the  presiding  officer  of  the  Chi- 
cago Convention  in  1860,  alluded  to  the  "  gavel "  used  on 
that  occasion,  saying  he  had  preserved  it  as  a  valuable 
memento. 


MISCELLANEOUS.  183 

Mr.  Ashmun  then  referred  to  a  matter  of  business  con- 
nected with  a  cotton  claim,  preferred  by  a  client  of  his,  and 
said  that  he  desired  to  have  a  "  commission  "  appointed  to 
examine  and  decide  upon  the  merits  of  the  case.  Mr.  Lin- 
coln replied,  with  considerable  warmth  of  manner,  "I  have 
done  with  '  commissions.'  I  believe  they  are  contrivances 
to  cheat  the  Government  out  of  every  pound  of  cotton  they 
can  lay  their  hands  on."  Mr.  Ashmun's  face  flushed,  and 
he  replied  that  he  hoped  the  President  meant  no  personal 
imputation. 

Mr.  Lincoln  saw  that  he  had  wounded  his  friend,  and  he 
instantly  replied:  "  You  did  not  understand  me,  Ashmun. 
I  did  not  mean  what  you  inferred.  I  take  it  all  back." 
Subsequently  he  said:     "  I  apologize  to  you,  Ashmun." 

He  then  engaged  to  see  Mr.  Ashmun  early  the  next  morn- 
ing, and,  taking  a  card,  he  wrote  : 

"  Allow  Mr.  Ashmun  and  friend  to  come  in  at  9  A.  M.  to-morrow. 

A.  Lincoln." 

These  were  his  last  written  words.  Turning  to  Mr.  Col- 
fax he  said  :  "  You  will  accompany  Mrs.  Lincoln  and  me 
to  the  theatre,  I  hope?"  Mr.  Colfax  pleaded  other  engage- 
ments— expecting  to  start  on  his  Pacific  trip  the  next  morn- 
ing. The  party  passed  out  on  the  portico  together,  the 
President  saying  at  the  very  last : 

"  Colfax,  don't  forget  to  tell  the  people  of  the  mining 
regions  what  I  told  you  this  morning  about  the  develop- 
ment when  peace  comes;"  then  shaking  hands  with  both 
gentlemen,  he  followed  Mrs.  Lincoln  into  the  carriage,  lean- 
ing forward,  at  the  last  moment,  to  say  as  they  were  driven 
off,  "  I  will  telegraph  you,  Colfax,  at  San  Francisco," — 
passing  thus  forth  for  the  last  time  from  under  that  roof 
into  the  creeping  shadows  which  were  to  settle  before  an- 
other dawn  into  a  funeral  uall  upon  the  orphaned  heart  of 
the  nation. 


184  LINCOLN  STORIES 

Abraham  Lincoln's  Death — Walt  Whitman's   Vivid  Description  of 
the  Scene  at  Ford's  Theatre. 

The  day  (April  14,  1865,)  seems  to  have  been  a  pleasant 
one  throughout  the  whole  land — the  moral  atmosphere 
pleasant,  too — the  long  storm,  so  dark,  so  fratricidal,  full  of 
blood  and  doubt  and  gloom,  over  and  ended  at  last  by  the 
sunrise  of  such  an  absolute  National  victory,  and  utter 
breaking  down  of  secessionism — we  almost  doubted  our 
senses!  Lee  had  capitulated  beneath  the  apple  tree  at 
Appommatox.  The  other  armies,  the  flanges  of  the  revolt, 
swiftly  followed. 

And  could  it  really  be,  then?  Out  of  all  the  affairs  of 
this  world  of  woe  and  passion,  of  failure  and  disorder  and 
dismay,  was  there  really  come  the  confirmed,  unerriug  sign 
of  peace,  like  a  shaft  of  pure  light — of  rightful  rule — of 
God? 

But  I  must  not  dwell  on  accessories.  The  deed  hastens. 
The  popular  afternoon  paper,  the  little  Evening  Star,  had 
scattered  all  over  its  third  page,  divided  among  the  adver- 
tisements in  a  sensational  manner  in  a  hundred  different 
places:  "  The  President  and  his  lady  will  be  at  the  theatre 
this  evening."  Lincoln  was  fond  of  the  theatre.  I  have 
myself  seen  him  there  several  times.  I  remember  thinking 
how  funny  it  was  that  he,  in  some  respects  the  leading 
actor  in  the  greatest  and  stormiest  drama  known  to  real 
history's  stage,  through  centuries,  should  sit  there  and  be 
so  completely  interested  in  those  human  jack-straws,  moving 
about  with  their  silly  little  gestures,  foreign  spirit,  and  flat- 
ulent text. 

So  the  day,  as  I  say,  was  propitious.  Early  herbage, 
early  flowers,  were  out.  I  remember  where  I  was  stopping 
at  the  time,  the  season  being  advanced,  there  were  many 
lilacs  in  full  bloom.  By  one  of  those  caprices  that  enter 
and  give  tinge  to  events  without  being  at  all  a  part  of  them, 


MISCELLANEOUS.  185 

I  find  myself  always  reminded  of  the  great  tragedy  of  that 
day  by  the  sight  and  odor  of  these  blossoms.  It  never 
fails. 

On  this  occasion  the  theatre  was  crowded,  many  ladies  in 
rich  and  gay  costumes,  officers  in  their  uniforms,  many 
well-known  citizens,  young  folks,  the  usual  clusters  of  gas^ 
lights,  the  usual  magnetism  of  so  many  people,  cheerful, 
with  perfumes,  music  of  violins  and  flutes — and  over  all, 
and  saturating,  that  vast,  vague  wonder,  Yictory,  the  Nation's 
victory,  the  triumph  of  the  Union,  filling  the  air,  the 
thought,  the  sense,  with  exhilaration  more  than  all  perfumes. 

The  President  came  betimes,  and,  with  his  wife,  witnessed 
the  play,  from  the  large  stage  boxes  of  the  second  tier,  two 
thrown  into  one,  and  profusely  draped  with  the  National 
flag.  The  acts  and  scenes  of  the  piece — one  of  those  sin- 
gularly witless  compositions  which  have  at  least  the  merit 
of  giving  entire  relief  to  an  audience  engaged  in  mental 
action  or  business  excitements  and  cares  during  the  day,  as 
it  makes  not  the  slightest  call  on  either  the  moral,  emo- 
tional, esthetic  or  spiritual  nature — a  piece  ("  Our  Ameri- 
can Cousin  ")  in  which,  among  other  characters  so  called, 
a  Yankee,  certainly  such  a  one  as  was  never  seen,  or  at  least 
like  it  ever  seen  in  North  America,  is  introduced  in  Eng- 
land, with  a  varied  fol-de-rolof  talk,  plot,  scenery,  and  such 
phantasmagoria  as  goes  to  make  up  a  modern  popular 
drama — had  progressed  through  perhaps  a  couple  of  its 
acts,  when  in  the  midst  of  this  comedy,  or  tragedy, 
or  non-such,  or  whatever  it  is  to  be  called,  and  to  offset  it, 
or  finish  it  out,  as  if  in  Nature's  and  the  Great  Muse's 
mockery  of  these  poor  mimies,  comes  interpolated  that 
scene,  not  really  or  exactly  to  be  described  at  all  (for  on  the 
many  hundreds  who  were  there  it  seems  to  this  hour  to 
have  left  little  but  a  passing  blur,  a  dream,  a  blotch) — and 
yet  partially  to  be  described  as  I  now  proceed  to  give  it: 


186  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

There  is  a  scene  in  the  play  representing  the  modern 
parlor,  in  which  two  unprecedented  English  ladies  are  in- 
formed by  the  unprecedented  and  impossible  Yankee  that 
he  is  not  a  man  of  fortune,  and  therefore  undesirable  for 
marriage  catching  purposes;  after  which,  the  comments 
being  finished,  the  dramatic  trio  make  exit,  leaving  the 
stage  clear  for  a  moment.  There  was  a  pause,  a  hush,  as 
it  were.  At  this  period  came  the  murder  of  Abraham 
Lincoln.  Great  as  that  was,  with  all  its  manifold  train 
circling  around  it,  and  stretching  into  the  future  for  many 
a  century,  in  the  politics,  history,  art,  etc.,  of  the  New 
World,  in  point  of  fact,  the  main  thing,  the  actual  murder, 
transpired  with  the  quiet  and  simplicity  of  any  commonest 
occurrence — the  bursting  of  a  bud  or  pod  in  the  growth  of 
vegetation,  for  instance. 

Through  the  general  hum  following  the  stage  pause,  with 
the  change  of  positions,  etc.,  came  the  muffled  sound  of  a 
pistol  shot,  which  not  one-hundredth  part  of  the  audience 
heard  at  the  time — and  yet  a  moment's  hush — somehow, 
snrely  a  vague,  6tartled  thrill — and  then,  through  the  or- 
namented, draperied,  starred,  and  striped  space-way  of  the 
President's  box,  a  sudden  figure,  a  man,  raises  himself  with 
hands  and  feet,  stands  a  moment  on  the  railing,  leaps  below 
to  the  stage  (a  distance  of  perhaps  of  14  or  15  feet),  falls 
out  of  position  catching  his  boot-heel  in  the  copious  drapery 
(the  American  fiag\  falls  on  one  knee,  quickly  recovers 
himself,  rises  as  if  nothing  had  happened  (he  really  sprains 
his  ankle,  but  unfelt  then) — and  the  figure,  Booth,  the 
murderer,  dressed  in  plain  black  broadcloth,  bare-headed, 
with  a  full  head  of  glossy,  raven  hair,  and  his  eyes,  like 
some  mad  animal's  flashing  with  light  and  resolution,  yet 
with  a  certain  strange  calmness,  holds  aloft  in  one  hand  a 
large  knife — walks  along  not  much  back  of  the  foot-lights 
— turns  fully  towards  the  audience  his  face  of  statuesque 


MISCELLANEOUS.  1B7 

beauty,  lit  by  those  basilisk  eyes,  flashing  with  desperation, 
perhaps  insanity — launches  out  in  a  firm  and  steady  voice 
the  words  Sic  Semper  Tyrannis — and  then  walks  with 
neither  slow  nor  very  rapid  pace  diagonal]}7  across  to  the 
hack  of  the  stage,  and  disappears.  (Had  not  all  this  terri- 
ble scene — making  the  mimic  ones  preposterous — had  it 
not  all  been  rehearsed,  in  blank,  by  Booth,  beforehand?) 

A  moment's  hush,  incredulous — a  scream — the  cry  of 
murder — Mrs.  Lincoln  leaning  out  of  the  box,  with  ashy 
cheeks  and  lips,  with  involuntary  cry,  pointing  to  the  retreat- 
ing figure,  "  lie  has  killed  the  President."  And  still  a 
moment's  strange,  incredulous  suspense — and  then  the  del- 
uge!— then  that  mixture  of  horror,  noises,  uncertainty — (the 
sound,  somewhere  back,  of  a  horse's  hoofs  clattering  with 
speed)  the  people  burst  through  chairs  and  railings,  and 
break  them  up — that  noise  adds  to  the  queerness  of  the 
scene — there  is  extricable  confusion  and  terror — women 
faint — quite  feeble  persons  fall,  and  are  trampled  on — many 
cries  of  agony  are  heard — the  broad  stage  suddenly  fills  to 
suffocation  with  a  dense  and  motley  crowd,  like  some  horri- 
ble carnival — the  audience  rush  generally  upon  it — at  least 
the  strong  men  do — the  actors  and  actresses  are  there  in 
their  play  costumes  and  painted  faces,  with  moral  fright 
showing  through  the  rouge — some  trembling,  some  in  tears 
the  screams  and  calls,  confused  talk — redoubled,  trebled — 
two  or  three  manage  to  pass  up  water  from  the  stage  to  the 
President's  box — others  try  to  clamber  up — etc.,  etc. 

In  the  midst  of  all  this  the  soldiers  of  the  President's 
Guard,  with  others,  suddenly  drawn  to  the  scene,  burst  in 
— some  200  altogether — they  storm  the  house,  through  all 
the  tiers,  especially  the  upper  ones — inflamed  with  fury, 
literally  charging  the  audience  with  fixed  bayonets,  muskets 
and  pistols,  shouting  "Clear  out!  clear  out! — you  sons  of 


188  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

b — !"  Such  the  wild  scene,  or  a  suggestion  of  it  rather, 
inside  the  play  house  that  night. 

Outside,  too,  in  the  atmosphere  of  shock  and  craze,  crowds 
of  people,  filled  with  frenzy,  ready  to  seize  any  outlet  for 
it,  came  near  committing  murder  several  times  on  inno- 
cent individuals.  One  such  case  was  especially  exciting. 
The  infuriated  crowd,  through  some  chance,  got  started 
against  one  man,  either  for  words  he  uttered,  or  perhaps 
without  any  cause  at  all,  and  were  proceeding  at  once  to 
hang  him  on  a  neighboring  lamp-post,  when  he  was  rescued 
by  a  few  heroic  policemen,  who  placed  him  in  their  midst 
and  fought  their  way  slowly  and  amid  great  peril  toward 
the  station  house.  It  was  a  fitting  episode  of  the  whole 
affair.  The  crowd  rushing  and  eddying  to  and  fro — the 
night,  the  yells,  the  pale  faces,  many  frightened  people  try- 
ing in  vain  to  extricate  themselves — the  attacked  man,  not 
yet  freed  from  the  jaws  of  death,  looking  like  a  corpse — the 
silent,  resolute  half  dozen  policemen,  with  no  weapons  but 
their  little  clubs,  yet  stern  and  steady  through  all  those 
eddying  swarms — made  indeed  a  Acting  side  scene  to  the 
grand  tragedy  of  the  murder.  They  gained  the  station 
house  with  the  protected  man,  whom  they  placed  in 
security  for  the  night,  and  discharged  him  in  the  morning. 

And  in  the  midst  of  that  night  pandemonium  of  sense- 
less hate,  infuriated  soldiers,  the  audience  and  the  crowd — 
the  stage,  and  all  its  actors  aud  actresses,  its  paint  pots, 
spangles  and  gaslight — the  life  blood  from  those  veins,  the 
best  and  sweetest  of  the  land,  drips  slowly  down,  and 
death's  ooze  already  begins  its  little  bubbles  on  the  lips. 

Such,  hurriedly  sketched,  were  the  accompaniments  of 
the  death  of  President  Lincoln.  So  suddenly,  and  in  mur- 
der and  horror  unsurpassed,  he  was  taken  from  us.  But 
his  death  was  painless. 


LINCOLN  STORIES.  189 

GETTING  AT  THE  PASS-WORD. 

An  amusing  story  is  attributed  to  the  late  President 
Lincoln  about  the  Iowa  First,  and  the  changes  which  a 
certain  pass-word  underwent  about  the  time  of  the  battle 
of  Springfield.  One  of  the  Dubuque  officers,  whose  duty 
it  was  to  furnish  the  guards  with  a  pass-word  for  the  night, 
gave  the  word  "Potomac."  A  German  on  guard,  not  com- 
prehending distinctly  the  difference  between  B's  and  P's, 
understood  it  to  be  "Bottomic,"  and  this,  on  being  trans- 
ferred to  another,  was  corrupted  into  "Buttermilk."  Soon 
afterwards  the  officer  who  had  given  the  word  wished  to 
return  through  the  lines,  and  on  approaching  a  sentinel 
was  ordered  to  halt,  and  the  word  demanded.  He  gave 
the  word  " Potomac."  "  Nicht  right ;  you  don't  pass  nut 
me  dis  way."  "But  this  is  the  word,  and  I  will  pass." 
"No,  you  stan',"  at  the  same  time  placing  a  bayonet  at 
his  breast,  in  a  manner  that  told  the  officer  that  "Potomac" 
didn't  pass  in  Missouri.  "What  is  the  word,  then?" 
' '  Buttermilk. "  "  Well,  then,  buttermilk. "  "  Dat  is  right ; 
now  you  pass  mit  yourself  all  about  your  piziness."  There 
was  then  a  general  overhauling  of  the  pass-word,  and  the 
difference  between  Potomac  and  Buttermilk  being  under- 
stood, the  joke  became  one  of  the  laughable  incidents  of 
the  campaign. 


STOP  THE  BOAT. 

During  the  recent  civil  war  a  farmer  from  one  of  the 
border  counties  of  Virginia  appealed  to  President  Lincoln 
to  redress  some  small  grievance  which  he  had  suffered  at 
the  hands  of  Union  soldiers.  The  President  replied  that  if 
he  were  to  deal  with  such  cases  he  should  find  work 


190  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

enough  for  twenty  presidents.  The  farmer,  however, 
urged  his  case,  saying,  "Couldn't  you  just  give  me  a  line 
to  Col.  about  it?  just  one  line!"  "Ha,  ha!"  re- 
sponded the  President,  "that  reminds  me  of  old  Jack  Chase. 
Jaek  used  to  be  lumberman  on  the  Illinois,  and  he  was 
steady  and  sober,  and  the  best  raftsman  on  the  river.  It 
was  quite  a  trick,  twenty-five  years  ago,  to  take  logs  over 
the  rapids,  but  he  was  skillful  with  a  raft  and  always  kept 
her  straight  in  the  channel.  Finally  a  steamer  was  put  on, 
and  Jack  was  made  captain  of  her.  He  always  used  to 
take  the  wheel,  going  through  the  rapids.  One  day  when 
the  boat  was  plunging  and  wallowing  along  the  boiling  cur- 
rent, and  Jack's  utmost  vigilance  was  being  exercised  to 
keep  her  in  the  narrow  channel,  a  boy  pulled  his  coat-tail 
and  hailed  him  with :  '  Say,  Mr.  Captain  !  I  wish  you 
would  just  stop  your  boat  a  minute — I've  lost  my  apple 
overboard !' " 


Lincoln  and  a  Clergyman. 

At  the  semi-annual  meeting  of  the  New  Jersey  Histori- 
cal Society,  held  in  Newark,  N.  J.,  Rev.  Dr.  Sheldon,  of 
Princeton,  read  a  memorial  of  their  late  President,  Eev. 
R.  K.  Rodgers,  D.  D.,  in  which  appears  the- following  in- 
cident concerning  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  the  war: 

One  day  during  the  war,  Dr.  Rodgers  was  called  on  by 
a  man  in  his  congregation,  who,  in  the  greatest  distress, 
told  him  that  his  son,  a  soldier  in  army,  had  just  been 
sentenced  to  be  shot  tor  desertion,  and  begged  the  minis- 
ter's interposition. 

The  Doctor  went  to  Washington  with  the  wife  and  in- 
fant child  of  the  condemned  man,  and  sent  his  card  up  to 
Mr.  Lincoln.     When  admitted,  the  President  said: 


MISCELLANEOUS.  191 

"Yon  are  a  minister,  I  believe.  What  can  I  do  for 
you,  my  friend?" 

The  reply  was:  'A  young  man  from  my  congregation 
in  the  army  has  so  far  forgotton  his  duty  to  his  country 
and  his  God  as  to  desert  his  colors,  and  is  sentenced  to 
die.     I  have  come  to  ask  you  to  spare  him. ' 

With  characteristic  quaintness  the  President  replied: 
:  Then  you  don't  want  him  hurt,  do  you?' 

'Oh,  no,'  said  the  petitioner,  I  did  not  mean  that;  he 
deserves  punishment,  but  I  beg  for  him  time  to  prepare  to 
meet  his  God. ' 

<  Do  you  sa#  he  has  father,  wife  and  child  2 '  said  Mr. 
Lincoln. 

<  Yes. » 

<  Where  do  you  say  he  is?' 

On  being  told,  he  turned  to  his  secretary,  said  a  few 
words  in  an  undertone,  of  which  that  official  made  note, 
and  added  to  Dr.  Rodgers,  '  You  have  your  request. 
Tell  his  friends  I  have  reprieved  him.' 

With  a  <  God  bless  you  Mr.  President, '  Dr.  Rodgers 
turned  away  to  bear  the  glad  news  to  the  distressed 
family." 


The  President  Advises  Secretary  Stanton  to  Prepare  for 

Death. 

The  imperious  Stanton,  when  Secretary  of  War,  took  a 
fancy  one  day  to  a  house  in  Washington  that  Lamon  had 
just  bargained  for.  He  ordered  the  latter  to  vacate  in- 
stanter.  Lamon  not  only  did  not  vacate,  bat  went  to  Stan- 
ton and  said  he  would  kill  him  if  he  interfered  with  the 
house.  Stanton  was  furious  at  the  threat,  and  made  it 
known  at  once  to  Lincoln.  The  latter  said  to  the  aston- 
ished War  Secretary: 


192  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

"  Well,  Stanton,  if  Ward  has  said  he  will  kill  you,  h« 
certainly  will,  and  I'd  advise  you  to  prepare  for  death 
without  further  delay. 

The  President  promised,  however,  to  do  what  he  could 
to  appease  the  murderous  Marshal,  and  this  was  the  end 
of  Stanton's  attempt  on  the  house. 


"A  Great  Deal  of  Shuck  for  a  Little  Nubbin." 
At  the  peace  conference  which  occurred  in  February, 
1865,  at  Fortres  Monroe,  President  Lincoln  and  Secretary 
Seward  were  on  one  side,  and  Alexander  II.  Stephens, 
John  A.  Campbell  and  K.  M.  T.  Hunter  on  the  other. 
The  attenuation  of  Mr.  Stephens  has  so  long  been  a  matter 
of  such  general  notoriety  that  it  is  not  offensive  to  speak 
of  it.  It  seems  that  Mr.  Lincoln  had  never  seen  Mr. 
Stephens  before.  At  that  time  a  kind  of  cloth  was  worn 
by  southern  gentlemen,  nearly  the  shade  of  ordinary  corn 
husk,  and  Mr.  Stephens'  great  coat  was  made  of  that  mate- 
rial. But  Mr.  Stephens,  who  always  had  been  a  frail  man, 
wore  many  other  garments  beneath  to  protect  him  against 
the  raw  wind  of  Hampton  Roads ;  and  Mr.  Lincoln  watched 
with  much  interest  the  process  of  shedding  until  the  man 
was  finally  reached.  At  last  Mr.  Stephens  stood  forth  in 
his  physical  entity,  ready  for  business.  Mr.  Lincoln,  giv- 
ing Gov.  Seward  one  of  his  most  comical  looks,  and  point- 
ing to  the  discarded  coats,  said:  "Well,  I  never  saw  as 
much  shuck  for  as  little  a  nubbin  in  my  life. " 


How  a  Negro  Soldier  Argued  the  "  Point.'* 
The  following  story  is  attributed  to  Mr.  Lincoln: 
Upon  the   hurricane  deck  of  one  of  our  gunboats,  an 


"MISCELLANEOUS.  193 

elderly  darkey  with  a  very  philosopical  and  retrospective 
cast  of  countenance,  squatted  upon  his  bundle,  toasting 
his  shins  against  the  chimney,  and  apparently  plunged 
into  a  state  of  profound  meditation  Finding,  upon  in- 
quiry, that  he  belonged  to  the  Ninth  Illinois,  one  of  the 
most  gallantly  behaved  and  heavy  losing  regiments  at  the 
Fort  Donelson  battle,  and  a  part  of  which  was  aboard,  1 
began  to  interrogate  him  on  the  subject: 

"Were  you  in  the  fight?" 

"  Had  a  little  taste  of  it  sa." 

"Stood  your  ground,  did  you? " 

"  No  sa;  I  runs." 

"Run  at  the  first  fire,  did  you?" 

"Yes  sa;  and  would  hab  run  soona  had  I  knowd  it  war 
coming." 

"  Why,  that  wasn't  very  creditable  to  your  courage." 

"Dat  isn't  my  line,  sa;  cooking's  my  perfeshun." 

"  Well,  but  have  you  no  regard  for  your  reputation?' 

"  Reputation's  nuflm  to  me  by  de  side  ob  life." 

"  Do  you  consider  your  life  worth  more  than  other  pee- 
ple's?"  ' 

"  It  is  worth  more  to  me,  sa." 

"  Then  you  must  value  it  very  highly?" 

"  Yes,  sa,  I  does ;  more  dan  all  dis  wuld,  more  dan  a 
million  ob  dollars,  sa;  for  what  wud  dat  be  wuth  to  a  man 
wid  de  bref  out  of  him?  Self-preserbation  am  de  fust  law 
wid  me." 

"  But  why  should  you  act  upon  a  different  rule  from 
other  men?" 

"  Because  different  men  set  different  values  upon  their 
lives;  mine  is  not  in  de  market." 


194  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

"  But  if  you  lost  it,  you  would  have  the  satisfaction  of 
knowing  that  you  died  for  your  country." 

"  "What  satisfaction  would  dat  be  to  me  when  de  power 
ob  feelin'  was  gone  ? " 

"  Then  patriotism  and  honor  are  nothing  to  you?" 

"  Nuffin  whatever,  sa ;  I  regard  them  as  among  the  van- 
ities." 

"If  our  soldiers  were  like  you,  traitors  might  have 
broken  up  the  government  without  resistance." 

"Yes,  sa;  dar  would  hab  been  no  help  for  it.  I 
wouldn't  put  my  life  in  de  scale  'ginst  any  gobernment  dat 
eber  existed,  for  no  gobernment  could  replace  de  loss  to 
me." 

"  Do  you  think  any  of  your  company  would  have  missed 
you  if  you  had  been  killed?" 

"  Maybe  not,  sa;  a  dead  white  man  ain't  much  to  dese 
sogers,  let  alone  a  dead  nigga;  but  I'd  a  missed  myself 
and  dat  was  de  pint  wid  me." 


The  Boy  Lincoln— How  He  Bode  a  Cow. 

A  writer  in  the  Louisville  Courier- Journal,  gives  the 
following  interesting  reminiscence  of  the  "Boy  Lincoln:" 

"Lincoln's  early  youth  was  spent  in  Spencer  county, 
Indiana,  above  Rockport,  a  beautiful  little  city  crowning 
the  abrupt  cliffs  which  frown  over  the  Ohio  river.  He  was 
faithful  and  industrious,  but  there  was  in  him  a  latent  in- 
dolence which  made  him  fond  of  taking  his  rod  to  fish,  or, 
with  his  gun  upon  his  shoulder,  he  would  roam  in  search 
of  game  over  the  long,  low  hills  bursting  with  red  day. 
There  are  living  at  present  several  old  citizens  who  knew 
Lincoln  well  at   that  time.     He  was  thoughtful,  and  his 


MISCELLANEOUS.  195 

solitary  expeditions  probably  gave  him  plenty  of  opportu- 
nity to  indulge  his  meditative  faculties. 

The  description  of  his  appearance  then;  his  long,  lank 
legs  under  an  a.wkward  body;  his  homely  face  upon  which 
the  prominent  nose  stood  like  a  handle;  his  long  hair 
dangling  upon  his  shoulders,  bring  up  instantly  the  picture 
ot  lchapod  Crane  in  the  twilight  stealing  over  the  hills  of 
Sleepy  Hollow  to  pay  his  court  to  Fraulein  Katrina  Von 
Tassel. 

The  embryo  statesman  was  full  of  spirit  and  fond  of 
mad  pranks. 

One  old  gentleman  in  Rockport  lives  to  tell  of  the  last 
time  he  saw  Lincoln.  He  was  visiting  the  Lincoln  home- 
stead, and  as  he  was  coming  away  they  found  a  trespass- 
ing cow  hanging  about  the  gate.  The  cow  had  given  the 
Lincolns  much  annoyance  by  entering  their  garden  and 
committing  depredations.  Young  Abe  was  dressed  in  a 
suit  of  jeans,  without  any  coat,  as  it  was  summer  time,  and 
on  his  head  he  wore  a  broad- brimed  white  straw  hat,  part 
of  which  was  cracked  and  broken.  Finding  the  cow  stand- 
ing hypocritically  meek  at  the  gate,  young  Abe  leaped 
astride  of  her  back,  and,  digging  his  bare  heels  into  her 
sides,  the  astonished  animal  broke  away  down  the  road  in 
a  lumbering  gallop.  "The  last  I  saw  of  Abe  Lincoln, " 
the  old  gentleman  relates  fondly,  "he  was  swinging  his 
hat,  shouting  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  galloping  down  the 
road  on  that  thunderstruck  cow." 

In  the  old  country  church  near  the  Lincoln  place  is  a 
pulpit  which  was  made  by  Abe  Lincoln  and  his  father. 
There  is  a  bookcase  in  the  Evansville  Custom-House  made 
by  the  same  carpenters  and  taken  there  for  preservation. 
Near  where  the  old  house  stood  is  a  dilapidated  corn-crib 


196  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

with  rail  floor,  the  rails  for  which  were  split  by  young 
Lincoln.  A  monument  has  been  raised  over  Nancy  Lin- 
coln's grave  through  the  efforts  of  Gen.  Yeatch,  of  Rock- 
port.     It  is  a  plain  slab  with  a  plain  inscription. 


An  Inauguration  Incident. 

Noah  Brooks,  in  his  "  Reminicences, "  relates  the  fol- 
lowing incident:  While  the  ceremonies  of  the  second 
inauguration  were  in  progress,  just  as  Lincoln  stepped 
forward  to  take  the  oath  of  office,  the  sun,  which  had  been 
obscuredby  rain-clouds,  burst  forth  in  splendor.  In  con- 
versation, next  day,  the  President  asked,  "  Did  you  notice 
that  sunburst?  It  made  my  heart  jump."  Later  in  the 
month,  Miss  Anna  Dickinson,  in  a  lecture  delivered  in  the 
hall  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  eloquently  alluded 
to  the  sunburst  as  a  happy  omen.  The  President  eat 
directly  in  front  of  the  speaker,  and  from  the  reporters' 
gallery,  behind  her,  I  had  caught  his  eye,  soon  after  he 
sat  down.  When  Miss  Dickinson  referred  to  the  sunbeam, 
he  looked  up  to  me,  involuntarily,  and  I  thought  his  eyes 
were  suffused  with  moisture.  Perhaps  they  were;  but  the 
next  day  he  said,  "  I  wonder  if  Miss  Dickinson  saw  me 
wink  at  you?" 


The  Brigadier  Generals  and  the  Horses. 

When  President  Lincoln  heard  ot  the  rebel  raid  at 
Fairfax,  in  which  a  brigadier-general  and  a  number  of 
valuable  horses  were  captured,  he  gravely  observed,  "  Well 
I  am  sorry  for  the  horses."  "  Sorry  for  the  horses,  Mr. 
President!"  exclaimed  the  Secretary  of  War,  raising  his 
spectacles,    and    throwing    himself  back  in   his  chair  in 


MISCELLANEOUS.  197 

astonishment.  "  Yes,"  replied  Mr.  Lincoln;  "  I  can  make 
a  brigadier-general  in  five  minutes,  but  it  is  not  easy  to 
replace  a  hundred  and  ten  horses." 


"  Potomac,"  vs.  "  Buttermilk." 

An  amusing  story  is  attributed  to  Presideut  Lincoln, 
about  the  Iowa  First,  and  the  changes  which  a  certain  pass- 
word underwent  about  the  time  of  the  battle  of  Spring- 
field. 

One  of  the  Dubuque  officers,  whose  duty  it  was  to  fur- 
nish the  guards  with  a  pass- word  lor  the  night,  gave  the 
word  "  Potomac."  A  German  on  guard,  not  comprehend- 
ing distinctly  the  difference  hetween  B's  and  P's,  under- 
stood it  to  be  "  Bottomic,"  and  this,  on  being  transferred 
to  another,  was  corrupted  into  "  Buttermilk."  Soon  after- 
ward the  officer  who  had  given  the  word  wished  to  return 
through  the  lines,  and  on  approaching  a  sentinel  was 
ordered  to  halt  and  the  word  demanded.  He  gave  the 
word  "  Potomac." 

"  Nicht  right;  you  don't  pass  mit  me  dis  way." 

"  But  this  is  the  word,  and  I  will  pass." 

"  No,  you  stan',"  at  the  same  time  placing  a  bayonet  at 
his  breast,  in  a  manner  that  told  the  officer  that  'Potomac' 
didn't  pass  in  Missouri. 

"What  is  the  word,  then?" 

"Buttermilk." 

"  Well,  then,  buttermilk." 

"Dat  is  right;  you  pass  mit  yourself  all  about  your 
piziness." 

There  was  then  a  general  overhauling  of  the  pass-word 
and  the  difference  between  Potomac  and  Buttermilk  being 


198  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

understood,   the  joke  became  one  of  the   laughable   inci- 
dents of  the  campaign. 

Lincoln's  Own  Humble  Opinion  of  Himself— A  Story  Told 

by  Judge  Carter. 

The  following  interesting  story  is  trom  the  "Note  Book 
of  Reminiscences "  of  Judge  A.  G.  W.Carter: 

The  Republicans  of  Cincinnati  in  the  year  1859  invited 
plain  Abraham  Lincoln,  of  Illinois,  to  that  city  to  make  a 
political  speech  in  reply  to  one  that  had  been  made  there 
a  short  time  before  by  Stephen  A.  Douglas.  This  was 
some  time  after  the  famous  campaigns  of  Lincoln  and 
Douglas  in  the  State  of  Illinois  and  by  which  both 
acquired  and  maintained  so  great  a  National  reputation, 
which  Lincoln  never  had  before,  but  the  reputation  of 
Douglas  had  long  since  become  National  from  his  career 
in  the  United  States  Senate.  Douglas  had  been  there, 
and  had  made  a  very  great  Democratic  speech,  and  the 
Republicans  thought  it  quite  necessary  that  the  great 
effect  of  it  should  be  modified  and  ameliorated  by  a  speech 
from  his  own  home  rival,  Mr.  Lincoln. 

So  Lincoln  was  invited,  and  he  came,  arriving  on  the 
early  evening  of  September  17,  1859,  and  he  was  duly 
escorted  to  his  well  prepared  quarters  at  the  Burnet 
House  by  a  Republican  committee.  At  half-past  7  o'clock 
a  long  procession,  headed  by  Menter's  famous  brass  band, 
reached  the  Burnet  House,  and  there  taking  Mr.  Lin- 
coln along  with  them,  marched  to  the  Fifth  street  market 
space,  and  there,  from  the  balcony  of  Mr.  Kinsey's  house, 
above  his  store,  Mr.  Lincoln  made  one  of  the  best  politi- 
cal speeches  of  his  life  to  the  immense  concourse  of  his 
fellow  citizens  assembled  to  hear  him  for  the  first  time. 


MISCELLANEOUS.  199 

I  was  living  at  the  Burnet  House  at  the  time  and 
Gov.  Thomas  Corwin  had  been  living  there  for  several 
months,  and  he  proposed  to  me  to  accompany  him  up  to 
the  meeting  to  hear  enough  of  Lincoln's  speech  to  get  the 
tenor  and  run  of  it,  so  that  we  might  "be  enabled  to  talk 
about  it  with  the  orator  after  it  was  all  over,  for  Mr.  Cor- 
win had  arranged  for  Mr.  Lincoln  to  spend  a  good  portion 
of  the  night  with  him  in  his  own  room  at  the  Burnet 
House,  and  had  personally  invited  me  to  be  one  of  the 
company.  I  went  with  Mr.  Corwin,  and  standing  on  the 
market  space  with  the  rest  of  the  multitude,  we  listened 
with  great  interest  to  Mr.  Lincoln  from  the  beginning  to  the 
end  of  his  eloquent  and  thoroughly  practical  speech, 
for  we  could  not  get  away  from  his  eloquence.  The  night 
was  calm  and  beautiful,  the  atmosphere  balmy  and  delight- 
ful, and  the  clear,  loud,  penetrating  tones  of  old  Abe's 
voice,  (for  he  was  called  "  Old  Abe  "  even  then)  reached  to 
all  points  of  the  extended  market  place,  and  any  one  there 
could  plainly  and  distinctly  hear  everything  he  said.  I 
full  remember  the  modest  and  humble  beginning  of  his 
great  speech: 

"  Fellow-citizens, "  said  he,  in  a  very  sincere  manner  and 
plain  tone  of  voice,  "  this  is  the  first  time  I  ever  under- 
took to  speak  to  the  people  inhabiting  so  large  a  city,  and 
I  am  not  in  the  habit  of  making  speeches  in  so  large  a 
city,  and  therefore  I  hope  I  will  be  excused  for  any  errors 
or  blunders  that  I  may  make  before  so  large  a  meeting.  " 

Tli is  was  truly  a  humble  beginning,  and  the  very  sim- 
plicity and  homespun  manner  and  method  of  his  exordium 
commanded  at  once  the  attention  of  the  people,  and  for  full 
two  hours  that  vast  concourse  listened  to  him  without  in- 
terruption, save  by  their  own    applauce.      After  he  was 


200  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

through,  Mr.  Corwin,  being  seen  in  the  crowd,  was  called 
for,  but  he  did  not  make  a  speech  on  account  of  the  late- 
ness  of  the  hour.  He  properly  excused  himself.  Mr. 
Corwin  and  myself  wended  our  way  back  to  the  Burnet 
House,  and  waited  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Lincoln  in  the  office, 
and  after  his  friends  and  admirers  had  left  him  and  the 
Burnet  House,  we  approached  him,  and,  by  his  invitation, 
accompanied  him  to  his  private  room,  No.  15,  on  the  first 
floor  adjoining  the  large  hall  of  the  office,  and  took  seats 
with  him.  It  was  now  about  11  o'clock  at  night,  but  Mr. 
Lincoln  showed  no  signs  of  exhaustion  or  fatigue;  on  the 
contrary,  he  was  lively  and  cheertul,  and  full  of  talk  and 
fun.  He  sat  in  his  chair  with  his  feet  and  long  legs  upon 
and  over  the  centre- table,  and  he  began  to  tell  his  dry 
stories,  in  his  dry  way,  and  kept  Mr.  Corwin  and  myself 
for  several  hours  in  entertainment  and  hilarity. 

I  had  heard  of  Mr.  Lincoln  as  a  story-teller,  but  I  never 
knew  that  he  was  such  a  serious,  sincere,  earnest,  funny 
one  as  he  proved  himself  to  be  that  night.  He  beat  Cor- 
win all  hollow,  and  Mr.  Corwin  remarked  to  me  that  he 
would  yield  the  palm  of  story-telling  to  Mr.  Lincoln.  But 
our  interview  was  not  all  story-telling. 

There  was  a  good  deal  of  serious  political  talk  and  phil- 
osophical reflection,  and  some  personal  talk,  and  of  this 
last  I  desire  to  take  particular  notice,  as  manifesting  in  a 
marked  degree  the  thorough  simplicity,  humility  and 
modesty  of  the  character  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

«  Well,  Mr.  Lincoln, "  said  Mr.  Corwin,  "  the  people 
begin  seriously  to  talk  about  you  as  a  candidate  for  the 
Presidency.  " 

Lincoln — "  Oh,  that  is  all  talk  of  some  enthusiastic 


MISCELLANEOUS.  201 

friends  of  mine  in  Illinois.  There  is  nothing  in  it  Mr. 
Corwin,  there  is  nothing  in  it.  " 

Mr.  Corwin — "  Oh !  but  there  is.  The  talk  is  not  con- 
fined to  the  State  of  Illinois,  but  it  is  all  over  the  country. 
You  have  enthusiastic  friends  all  over  the  country  who  are 
talking  of  you  for  the  Presidency.  " 

Lincoln — "  Oh,  the  talk  is  not  serious  at  all;  it  is  just 
an  enthusiastic  impulse,  and  I  don't  mind  it. " 

Corwin — "  But  it  is  serious,  and  as  the  convention  of  the 
Republicans  will  assemble  early  next  year,  it  is  the  pur- 
pose to  place  your  name  before  the  convention  for  the 
Presidency,  and  they  will  perhaps  nominate  you.  " 

Lincoln — "  What !  nominate  me,  when  there  are  such 
great  men  as  Seward  and  Chase  in  the  field?" 

Corwin — «  There  is  the  very  point;  the  friends  of  Chase 
and  Seward  are  already  up  in  arms  against  each  other,  and 
who  so  fit  to  come  in  and  reconcile  all  the  interests  and 
antagonisms  of  the  contending  friends  and  of  these  can- 
didates?" 

Lincoln — "  So  you  really  think  there  is  a  chance  for 
me?  "Well,  Mr.  Corwin,  I  don't  think  there  is  any  thing 
in  it,  and  the  fact  is,  I  don't  encourage  the  idea,  and  shall 
not  encourage  the  idea,  lor  I  have  no  ambition  to  be  Pres- 
ident. That  never  entered  my  head.  Indeed,  Mr.  Cor- 
win, I  do  not  think  I  am  fit  to  be  President  of  these 
United  States.  I  have  not  the  requisite  ability.  I  am  not 
competent  to  fill  the  Presidency.  1  cannot  compare  in 
anything  with  Chase  and  Seward.  Now,  I'll  tell  you  what 
— I  am  willing  to  run  for  Vice-President,  if  the  conven- 
tion will  nominate  me  for  that,  and  with  a  little  study  of 
Cushing's  or  Jefferson's  Manual  I  might  acquire  enough 
knowledge  to  sit  in  the  chair  of  the  Vice-President  and 


202  LINCOLN  Si  DRIES. 

preside  over  the  deliberations  of  the  Senate.  Ton  know 
it  does  not  require  a  great  genius  to  do  that,  and  this  I 
think  I  could  be  capable  of  with  a  little  extra  study. " 

Corwin — "  But  the  people  do  not  think  so.  They  will 
want  you  for  President. n 

Lincoln — "  I  don't  think  the  people  will  be  so  foolish  as 
that,  Mr.  Corwin,  for  I  know  that  I  am  not  fit  to  be  Presi- 
dent, and  I  know  that  the  people  know  that,  too.  But  I 
would  really  thank  them  and  be  very  grateful  to  them  it 
they  would  take  it  into  their  heads  to  make  me  their  Yice  - 
President,  the  duties  of  which,  I  believe,  I  could  inform 
myself  of  to  attend  to.  But  I  do  not  think  at  all  of  being 
President  of  this  great  county — no,  not  at  all.  " 

And  so  the  conversation  in  this  strain  went  on  till  2 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  but  Lincoln  stuck  to  it  to  the  last 
that  he  was  not  fit  to  be  President. 

Mr.  Corwin  and  myself  bid  good-bye  to  Mr.  Lincoln  in 
the  wee  hours  of  morn,  that  he  might  go  to  bed  and  to 
his  proper  sleep.  As  we  came  out  of  the  room  into  the 
still  open  office,  Mr.  Corwin  remarked  to  me  sort  o'  con- 
fidentially, u  A  great  man,  that  Abraham  Lincoln,  Judge 
Carter;  so  great,  indeed,  that  he  does  not  know  anything 
about  it  himself.  He  will  do  for  a  President,  he  will 
make  a  first-rate  one,  and  I  think  the  Republican  conven- 
tion will  nominate  him  fresh  from  the  people,  and  the  Re- 
publican people  will  elect  him. " 

This  was  saying  a  great  deal  lor  Mr.  Corwin,  who  was 
frequently  talked  of  for  President  himself,  and  if  he  had 
followed  his  young  career  and  successes  might  have  been 
the  President,  but  he  got  soured  once  upon  a  time,  and  he 
was  no  longer  ambitious. 

As  to  Mr.  Lincoln,  I  think  the   recollection  is   too  good 


MISCELLANEOUS.  203 

to  be  lost.  It  shows  without  a  doubt  the  native  simplicity 
and  humility  of  the  man,  and  he  who  has  these  in  his  soul 
as  virtues,  it  is  safe  to  say,  has  all  the  rest. 


How  Lincoln  Told  a  Secret. 

When  the  Sherman  expedition  which  captured  Port 
Royal  went  out,  there  was  great  curiosity  to  know  where 
it  had  gone.  A  person  visiting  President  Lincoln  at  his 
official  residence  importuned  him  to  disclose  the  destina- 
nation. 

"Will  you  keep  it  entirely  secret?"  asked  the  Presi- 
dent. 

"  Oh  yes,  upon  my  honor." 

"  Well, "  said  the  President,  "  I'll  tell  you.  "  Assuming 
an  air  of  great  mystery,  and  drawing  the  man  close  to  him, 
he  kept  him  a  moment  awaiting  the  revelation  with  an 
open  mouth  and  in  great  anxiety,  and  then  said  in  a  loud 
whisper,  which  was  heard  all  over  the  room,  "  The  expe- 
dition has  gone  to — sea.  " 


A  Joke  on  Mr.  Chase. 

One  day,  while  the  American  war  was  going  on,  and 
Secretary  Chase  was  issuing  the  paper  money,  known  as 
"  greenbacks,  "  in  large  quantities,  he  found  upon  a  desk 
in  his  office  a  drawing  of  an  ingenious  invention  for  turn- 
ing gold  eagles  into  "  greenbacks,  "  with  a  portrait  of  him- 
self feeding  it  with  "  yeller  boys, "  at  one  end,  while  the 
government  currency  came  out  at  the  other  end,  flying 
about  like  leaves  of  Autumn.  While  he  was  examining 
the  drawing,  President  Lincoln  came  in,  and,  recognizing 
the  likeness  of  the  secretary,  exclaimed : 


204  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

"Capital  joke,  isn't  it,  Mr.  Chase?  " 

"A  joke,  "  said  the  irate  financier,  "  I'd  give  a  thousand 
dollars  to  know  who  left  that  here.  " 

"  Would  you,  indeed?  "  said  the  President,  "and  which 
end  would  you  pay  from  ? " 

The  answer  is  not  "  recorded.  " 


A  Curious  Story  of  Lincoln  and  the  Spirits— A  "Seance." 

It  is  stated  on  the  authority  of  the  Boston  Evening 
Gazette,  that  Abraham  Lincoln  once  gave  a  Spiritual  soiree 
at  the  Presidential  residence  to  test  the  wonderful  alleged 
supernatural  powers  of  one  Mr.  Charles  E.  Shockle.  The 
party  consisted  of  the  President,  Mrs.  Lincoln,  Mr.  Welles, 
Mr.  Stanton  and  two  other  gentlemen. 

For  some  half-hour  the  demonstrations  were  of  a  phys- 
ical character — tables  were  moved,  and  a  picture  of  Henry 
Clay,  which  hangs  on  the  wall,  was  swayed  more  than  a 
foot,  and  two  candelabra,  presented  by  the  Dey  of  Algiers 
to  President  Adams,  was  twice  raised  nearly  to  the  ceiling. 
At  length  loud  rappings  was  heard  directly  beneath  the 
President's  feet,  and  Mr.  Shockle  stated  that  an  Indian 
desired  to  communicate.  "  I  shall  be  happy  to  hear  what 
his  Indian  majesty  has  to  say, "  replied  the  President, 
"for  I  have  recently  received  a  deputation  of  our  red 
brethren,  and  it  was  the  only  delegation,  black,  white  or 
blue,  which  did  not  volunteer  some  advice  about  the  con- 
duct of  the  war.  "  The  medium  then  called  for  a  pencil 
and  paper,  which  were  laid  upon  the  table,  and  after- 
wards covered  with  a  handkerchief.  Presently  knocks 
were  heard,  and  the  paper  was  uncovered.  To  the  sur- 
prise of  all  present,  it  read  as  follows : 


MISCELLANEOUS.  205 

"  Haste  makes  waste,  but  delays  cause  vexations.  Give 
vitality  by  energy.  Use  every  means  to  subdue.  Procla- 
mations are  useless.  Make  a  bold  front,  and  fight  the 
enemy;  leave  traitors  at  home  to  the  care  of  loyal  men. 
Less  note  of  preparation,  less  parade  and  policy-talk,  and 
more  action. — Henky  Knox.  " 

"  That  is  not  Indian  talk,  Mr.  Shockle, "  said  the  Presi- 
dent.    "  Who  is  Henry  Knox?" 

The  medium,  speaking  in  a  strange  voice,  replied,  "  The 
first  Secretary  of  War.  " 

"Oh,  yes;  General  Knox,  said  the  President.  Stanton, 
that  message  is  for  you;  it  is  from  your  predecessor.  I 
should  like  to  ask  General  Knox  to  tell  us  when  this 
rebellion  will  be  put  down." 

The  answer  was  oracularly  indefinite.  The  spirit  said 
that  Napoleon  thought  one  thing,  Lafayette  another,  and 
that  Franklin  differed  from  both. 

"  Ah,  "  exclaimed  the  President,  "  opinions  differ  among 
the  saints  as  well  as  among  the  sinners.  Their  talk  is 
very  much  like  the  talk  of  my  cabinet.  I  wish  the  spirits 
would  tell  us  how  to  catch  the  Alabama?" 

The  lights  almost  instantaneously  became  so  dim  that 
it  was  impossible  to  distinguish  the  features  of  any  one 
in  the  room,  and  on  the  large  mirror  over  the  mantlepiece, 
there  appeared  a  sea-view,  the  Alabama,  with  all  steam  up3 
flying  from  the  pursuit  of  another  large  steamer.  Two 
merchantmen  in  the  distance  were  seen  partially  destroyed 
by  fire.  The  picture  changed,  and  the  Alabama  was  seen 
at  anchor  under  the  shadow  of  an  English  fort,  from  which 
an  English  flag  was  flying.  The  Alabama  was  floating 
idly,  not  a  soul  on  board,  and  no  signs  of  life  visible  about 
her.     The   picture   vanished,   and,   in   letters   of  purple, 


206  LINCOLN  STORIES 

appeared,  "The  American  people  demand  this  of  the  En- 
glish aristocracy. " 

"So  England  is  to  seize  the  Alabama,  finally?"  said  the 
President.  "  It  may  be  possible,  but  Mr.  "Welles,  don't 
let  one  gunboat  or  one  monitor  less  be  built.  Well,  Mr. 
Shockle,"  continued  he,  "  1  have  seen  strange  things,  and 
heard  rather  odd  remarks,  but  nothing  that  convinces  me, 
except  the  pictures,  that  there  is  anything  very  heavenly 
about  all  this.  I  should  like,  if  possible,  to  hear  what 
Judge  Douglas  says  about  this  war.  " 

Alter  an  interval  of  about  three  minutes,  Mr.  Shockle 
rose  quickly  from  his  chair,  and  stood  behind  it.  Resting 
his  left  arm  on  the  back,  his  right  into  his  bosom,  he  spoke 
in  a  voice  such  as  no  one  could  mistake  who  had  ever 
heard  Mr.  Douglas.  He  urged  the  President  to  throw 
aside  all  advisers  who  hesitated  about  the  policy  to  be  pur- 
sued, and  said  that  if  victory  were  followed  up  by  ener- 
getic action,  all  would  be  well. 

"  I  believe  that, "  said  the  President,  "  whether  it  comes 
from  spirit  or  human.  It  need  not  a  ghost  from  'the 
bourne  from  which  no  traveler  returns'  to  tell  that.  " 


The  President's  Aversion  to  Blood-shed. 

A  striking  incident  in  Mr.  Lincoln's  official  life  is  re- 
lated by  Judge  Bromwell,  of  Denver,  who  visited  the 
White  House  in  March,  1865.  Mr.  Seward  and  several 
other  gentlemen  were  also  present,  and  the  President  grad- 
ually came  to  talk  on  decisions  of  life  and  death.  All 
other  matters  submitted  to  him,  he  declared,  were  nothing 
in  comparison  to  these,  and  he  added:  "I  reckon  there 
never  was  a  man  raised  in  the  country  on  a  farm,  where 


MISCELLANEOUS.  207 

taey  are  always  butchering  cattle  and  hogs  and  think  noth- 
ing of  it,  that  ever   grew  up  with   such   an  aversion   to 
bloodshed  as  I  have;  and  yet  I've  had  more   questions  of 
life  and  death  to  settle  in  four  years  than  all  the  men  who 
ever  sat  in  this  chair  put  together.     But    I've  managed  to 
get  along  and  do  my  duty,  as  I  believe,  and  still  save  most 
of  them,  and  there's  no  man    knows   the   distress   of  my 
mind.     But  there  have  been  some  of  them  I  couldn't  save 
— there  are  some  cases  where  the  law  must   be  executed. 
There  was  that  man  — ,  who  was  sentenced  for  piracy  and 
slave-trading  on  the  high  seas.     That   was   a  case  where 
there  must  be  an  example,  and  you  don't  know  how   they 
followed  and  pressed  to  get  him  pardoned,  or  his  sentence 
commuted  ?  but  there  was  no  use  of  talking.     It  had  to  be 
done ;  I  couldn't  help  him ;   and   then  there  was   that  — , 
who  was  caught  spying  and  recruiting  within  Pope's  lines 
in  Missouri.     That  was  another  case.     They  beseiged  me 
day  and  night,  but  I  couldn't  give    way.     We    had   come 
to  a  point  where  something  must  be  done  that  would   put 
a  stop  to  such  work.     And   then  there   was   the   case  of 
Beal  on  the  lakes.     That  was  a  case  where   there   had   to 
be   an  example.     They    tried     me     every     way.      They 
wouldn't  give  up;  but  I  had  to  stand  firm  on   that,   and   I 
even  had  to  turn  away  his  poor  sister  when  she  came  and 
begged  for  his  life,  and  let  him  be  executed,  and  he  was 
executed,  and  I  can't  get  the  distress  out  of  my  mind  yet." 
As  the  kindly  man  uttered  these  words  the  tears  ran  down 
his  cheeks,  and  the  eyes  of  the   men   surrounding  him 
moistened  in  sympathy.     There  was  a  profound  silence  in 
which  they  rose  to  depart.     Three  weeks  after,  the   Presi- 
dent was  killed. 


208  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

Two  Hundred  and  Fifty  Thousand  Passes  to  Richmond.* 

A  gentlemen  called  upon  President  Lincoln  before  the 
fall  of  Richmond  and  solicited  a  pass  for  that  place.  "  I 
should  be  very  happy  to  oblige  you,"  said  the  President, 
"if  my  passes  were  respected;  but  the  fact  is,  I  have, 
within  the  past  two  years,  given  passes  to  two  hundred  and 
filty  thousand  men  to  go  to  Richmond,  and  not  one  has 
got  there  yet." 


Hon.  Leonard  Swett's  Reminiscenses. 

"  I  saw  him,"  says  Mr.  Swett, "  early  one  morning,  when 
the  President,  alluding  to  the  proposed  Emancipation  Proc- 
lamation, invited  me  to  sit  down,  as  he  wished  to  confer 
with  me  on  the  subject.  The  conference  lasted  until  the 
time  came  for  the  Cabinet  Council,  and  during  the  whole 
time  Lincoln  did  all  the  talking.  He  did  not  really  want 
my  advice ;  he  wanted  simply  so  go  over  the  ground  with 
me. 

During  the  conference  the  President  read  a  very  able 
letter  from  Robert  Dale  Owen,  urging  reasons  why  the 
War  could  never  be  gone  through  successfully  without  the 
Emancipation  Proclamation.  As  Lincoln  read  it  he  re- 
marked, <  this  is  a  very  able  paper,'  at  the  same  time 
stating  that  he  had  prepared  a  paper  on  the  same  subject 
but  that  Owen's  was  much  the  abler  of  the  two. 

The  President  then  offered  to  read  letters  of  another 
kind, — letters  complaining  of  his  Administration,  piling 
upon  him  the  most  frightful  abuse  for  being  a  do  nothing 
in  the  Presidential  Chair.  The  reading  of  letters  of  this 
class  occupied  an  hour.  He  also  read  a  letter  from  the 
Frenchman  Gasparin,  who  advised  him  to  do  nothing  that 


MISCELLANEOUS.  209 

was  revolutionary,  and  urging  the  claims  of  legitimacy. 
He  argued  that  the  South  were  revolutionists,  and  asked 
whether  a  proclamation  freeing  the  slaves  might  not  render 
the  Northerners  revolutionists  themselves. 

Lincoln  then  reviewed  the  three  kinds  of  letters,  and 
also  gave  his  own  views  as  to  the  probable  results  of  free- 
ing the  negroes,  his  great  fear  being  that  they  might,  thus 
freed,  become  an  element  of  weakness  to  their  liberators. 

Before  the  interview  was  ended,  I,  pondering  upon  what 
Mr.  Lincoln  had  said  about  having  written  something 
upon  the  subject  of  emancipation,  made  a  guess  that  he 
had  in  the  drawer  before  him  the  proclamation  ready 
written,  and  I  asked  the  President  to  let  me  see  what  he 
had  prepared  on  the  subject.  Lincoln  asked  me  not  to 
press  the  request,  and  I  abstained  from  doing  so,  but 
three  weeks  afterward,  when  the  proclamation  had  been 
issued,  the  President  acknowledged  to  me  that  my  guess 
had  been  a  correct  one,  and  that  the  document  was,  at  the 
time  of  the  interview,  lying  in  the  very  spot  I  had  men- 
tioned. 

As  soon  as  Lincoln  saw  that  the  negro  slave  could 
become  a  soldier  he  saw  that  he  had  the  material  out  of 
which  the  Rebellion  could  be  crushed,  and  it  is  my  belief 
that  from  this  time  forward  Lincoln  had  a  clear  sight  of 
the  victory  that  stood  at  the  end  of  the  War. 

Speaking  of  Lincoln's  habits,  the  Hon.  Leonard  Swett 
says,  that  the  martyr- President  was  used  to  work  all  his 
life,  but  never  to  its  dissipations.  With  him  morning 
meant  6  o'clock  a.  in.,  and,  as  a  rule,  he  had  finished 
breakfast  and  was  at  work  at  7  o'clock.  What  tore  his 
heart  most  ot  all  during  the  War  was  an  approval  of  the 
death  penalty.     He  had  a   horror  of  blood,  and  although 


210  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

he  knew  that  under  certain  circumstances  he  could  not 
avoid  signing  the  death- warrant  for  desertion,  it  always 
caused  him  infinite  pain  to  do  so. 

One  morning  Mr.  Swett  found  him  sitting  in  the  "east 
room  "  before  a  pile  of  papers.  They  sat  together,  chatted 
and  told  stories.  It  was  a  Thursday,  and  Friday  was  al- 
ways the  day  upon  which  deserters  were  shot.  Sud- 
denly Lincoln  arose  and  said  abruptly,  "Swett,  go  out  of 
here;  to-morrow  is  butcher's  day,  and  I've  got  to  go  through 
these  papers,  not  to  see  if  they  are  regular,  but  if  I  can't 
find  something  by  which  I  can  let  them  off.  " 


The  Triplets  Lincoln  Named. 
In  South  Starksboro,  Addison  county,  Yt.,  says  the 
Burlington  Free  Press,  there  are  residing  triplets,  sons  of 
Leonard  Haskins,  born  May  24,  1864,  and  named  by  Pres- 
ident Lincoln.  They  have  in  their  possession  a  letter 
from  the  hand  of  the  martyr-President,  and  the  names 
given  were  Abraham  Lincoln,  Gideon  Welles  and  Simon 
Cameron.  They  are  the  children  of  American  parents 
(who  are  still  living)  of  limited  circumstances,  have  led  a 
very  retired  life,  are  robust,  intelligent,  and  moral,  and 
have  always  been  total  abstainers  from  liquor  and  profan- 
ity. There  is  an  almost  perfect  resemblance  between  two 
who  are  light  complexioned,  while  the  other  is  a  striking 
contrast,  having  dark  hair  and  eyes. 


Lincoln  and  the  Colored  People  at  Richmond. 

G.   F.  Shepley  gives  the  following  interesting  reminis- 
cence: 

After  Mr.  Lincoln's  interview  with  Judge  Campbell  the 


MISCELLANEOUS.  211 

President  about  to  return  to  the  "Wabash,  I  took  him  and 
Admiral  Porter  in  my  carriage.  An  immense  concourse 
of  colored  people  thronged  the  streets,  accompanied  and 
followed  the  carriage,  calling  upon  the  President  with  the 
wildest  exclamations  of  gratitude  and  delight.  He  was 
the  Moses,  the  Messiah,  to  the  slaves  of  the  South.  Hun- 
dreds of  colored  women  tossed  their  hands  high  in  the  air 
and  then  bent  down  to  the  ground  weeping  for  joy.  Some 
shouted  songs  of  deliverance,  and  sang  the  old  plantation 
refrains,  which  had  prophesied  the  coming  of  a  deliverer 
from  bondage.  "God  bless  you,  Father  Abraham!"  went 
up  from  a  thousand  throats.  Those  only  who  have  seen 
the  paroxysmal  enthusiasm  of  a  religious  meeting  of 
slaves  can  form  an  adequate  conception  of  the  way  in 
which  the  tears,  and  smiles,  and  shouts  of  these  emanci- 
pated people  evinced  the  frenzy  of  their  gratitude  to  their 
deliverer.  He  looked  at  it  all  attentively,  with  a  face  ex- 
pressive only  of  a  sort  of  pathetic  wonder.  Occasionally 
its  sadness  would  alternate  with  one  of  his  peculiar  smiles, 
and  he  would  remark  on  the  great  proportion  of  those 
whose  color  indicated  a  mixed  lineage  from  the  white 
master  and  the  black  slave;  and  that  reminded  him  of  some 
little  story  of  his  life  in  Kentucky,  which  he  would  smil- 
ingly tell;  and  then  his  face  would  relapse  again  into  that 
sad  expression  which  all  will  remember  who  saw  him  dur- 
ing the  last  few  weeks  of  the  Rebellion.  Perhaps  it  was 
a  presentiment  of  his  impending  fate. 

I  accompanied  him  to  the  ship,  bade  him  farewell,  and 
left  him,  to  see  his  lace  no  more.  Not  long  after,  the  bul- 
let of  the  assassin  arrested  the  beatings  of  one  of  the  kind- 
est hearts  that  ever  throbbed  in  human  bosom. 


212  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

Lincoln's  First  Convictions  of  "War— His  Great    Sadness* 
The  Hon.  Leonard  Swett,  in  an  address  before  the  Union 
Veteran  Club  at  Chicago,  gives  the  following  interesting 
reminiscence: 

I  remember  well  the  first  time  that  the  belief  that  war 
was  inevitable  took  hold  of  Lincoln's  mind.  Some  time 
after  the  election  Lincoln  asked  me  to  write  a  letter  to 
Tlmrlow  Weed  to  come  to  Springfield  and  consult  with 
him,  (Lincoln).  Mr.  "Weed  came,  and  he,  the  President- 
elect, and  myself  had  a  meeting,  in  which  Lincoln  for  the 
first  time  acknowledged  that  lie  was  in  possession  of  facts 
that  showed  that  the  South  meant  war.  These  facts  con- 
sisted of  the  steps  which  the  disaffected  States  were  taking 
to  spirit  away  the  arms  belonging  to  the  Government,  and, 
taking  them  into  consideration,  Lincoln  was  forced  to  the 
belief  that  his  Administration  was  to  be  one  of  blood. 
As  he  made  this  admission  his  countenance  rather  than  his 
words  demonstrated  the  sadness  which  it  occasioned,  and 
he  wanted  to  know  if  there  was  not  some  way  of  avoiding 
the  disaster.  He  felt  as  if  he  could  not  go  forward  to  an 
era  of  war,  and  these  days  were  to  him  a  sort  of  forty  days 
in  the  wilderness,  passed  under  great  stress  of  doubt  and, 
perhaps  to  him,  of  temptations  of  weakness.  Finally, 
however,  he  seemed  quietly  to  put  on  the  armor  and  pre- 
pare himself  lor  the  great  responsibility  and  struggle 
before  him. 


A  Keminiscence  of  Lincoln. 

Says  a  correspondent  of  the  Chicago  Tribune'.  Early  in 
December,  1860, 1  was  called  to  Springfield  on  business. 
It  had  then  been  ascertained  that  Mr.  Lincoln  was  certain- 


MISCELLANEOUS.  218 

Iy  the  President-elect.  He  had  just  taken  Gov.  Yates' 
room  in  the  State-House.  As  I  was  entering  the  State- 
House  about  9  o'clock  a.  m.,  I  met  Mr.  Lincoln  on  the 
steps,  and  he  invited  me  to  his  rooms.  After  remaining 
alone  in  conversation  with  him  until  about  10  o'clock,  two 
gentlemen  from  Memphis,  Tenn.,  were  ushered  in  and 
introduced  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  ■ — ,  of  Springfield.  They  had 
been  deputed  by  the  Cotton  Exchange  of  Memphis  to  visit 
Mr.  Lincoln  and  ascertain  what  his  policy  would  be 
towards  the  Southern  States. 

After  a  very  satisfactory  conversation  of  perhaps  an 
hour,  and  as  they  were  on  the  point  of  leaving,  a  loud  rap 
was  heard  at  the  door,  to  which  Mr.  Lincoln  responded, 
"  Come  in."  But  no  one  entered.  After  a  short  pause 
another  and  louder  rap  was  heard,  and  Mr.  Lincoln  arose 
and  opened  the  door,  when  an  old  gentleman,  about  65 
years  of  age  entered,  whose  hand  Mr.  Lincoln  grasped 
very  cordially.  They  were  old-time  acquaintances,  and, 
after  mutual  inquiries  about  friends  and  families,  the  old 
gentleman  put  his  hand  in  the  pocket  of  his  old-fashioned, 
blue,  swallow- tailed  coat  and  took  therefrom  a  large,  beau- 
tiful apple,  and  said ;  "Abraham,  here  is  an  apple  that 
Mary  plucked  from  your  favorite  tree  in  the  southwest 
corner  of  the  orchard ;  and  she  asked  me  to  hand  it  to  you 
with  her  best  wishes  for  your  success  and  prosperity.  As 
I  have  no  time  to  spare,  as  I  must  leave  for  home,  for  I 
have  a  long  distance  to  go,  i  thought  I  would  call  and  see 
you  for  a  few  minutes.  We  have  known  eacli  other  for 
many  years.  You  will  soon  leave  for  Washington,  and 
we  may  never  meet  again.  You  are  the  President-elect. 
I  rejoiced  when  you  were  nominated,  I  voted  for  you,  and 
rejoiced  still  more  when   you  were  elected.     I   fear  you 


214  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

will  have  great  trouble.  You  must  allow  me  to  give  you 
a  few  words  of  advice,  as  I  have  often  done  before. 
Abraham,  you  know  what  it  cost  our  forefathers  to  secure 
our  independence  and  establish  the  Union.  Ours  is  the 
best  Government  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  it  must  be 
preserved.  But  we  want  no  bloodshed!  We  want  no 
war!  You  must  be  kind  to  our  Southern  brethren. 
They  are  hot-headed,  but  good-hearted.  They  think 
slavery  is  endangered  by  your  election.  Treat  them  kind- 
ly, and  tell  them  that  your  Administration  will  do  them 
no  wrong;  that  you  will  be  the  President  of  the  whole 
country,  and  every  constitutional  right  preserved.  If 
they  persist  in  their  threat  to  dissolve  the  Union,  then  I 
charge  you  by  the  memory  of  our  fathers,  by  the  blood 
and  sacrifices  of  the  Revolution,  by  everything  we  prize  in 
all  our  history,  by  your  duty  to  posterity  and  the  world, 
use  all  the  power  under  Heaven  at  your  command  to 
crush  every  seed  of  dissolution  and  wipe  out  every  traitor 
to  our  country!" 

The  brief  speech  was  delivered  while  the  two  were 
standing  facing  each  other,  and  in  a  distinct  but  nervous 
voice  which  thrilled  every  one  present  and  brought  tears 
to  every  eye. 

"With  mutual  "God  bless  you,"  the  old  man  departed 
for  his  Macon  (I  think)  County  home,  and  but  few  words 
were  spoken  before  we  all  separated. 


How  Lincoln  Won  the  Nomination  for  Congress. 

Old-time  politicians,  says  a  correspondent,  will  readily 
recall  the  heated  political  campaign  of  1843  in  the  neigh- 
boring State  of  Illinois.     The  chief  interest  of  the   cam- 


MISCELLANEOUS.  215 

paign  lay  in  the  race  for  Congress  in  the  Capital  district, 
which  was  between  Hardin — fiery,  eloquent  and  impetuous 
Democrat;  and  Lincoln — plain,  practical  and  ennobled 
Whig.     The  world  knows  the  result.     Lincoln  was  elected. 

It  is  not  so  much  with  his  election  as  with  the  manner 
in  which  he  secured  his  nomination  with  which  we  have  to 
deal.  Before  that  ever-memorable  spring  Lincoln  vacil- 
lated between  the  courts  of  Springfield,  rated  as  a  plain, 
honest,  logical  Whig,  with  no  ambition  higher,  politically 
than  to  occupy  some  good  home  office.  Late  in  the  fall  of 
1842  his  name  began  to  be  mentioned  in  connection  with 
Congressional  aspirations,  which  fact  greatly  annoyed  the 
leaders  of  his  political  party,  who  had  already  selected  as 
the  Whig  candidate,  one  Baker,  afterward  the  gallant  Col- 
onel, who  fell  so  bravely  and  died  such  an  honorable  death 
on  the  battlefield  at  Ball's  Bluff,  in  1862.  Despite  all 
efforts  of  his  opponents  within  his  party  the  name  of  the 
"gaunt  rail-splitter"  was  hailed  with  acclaim  by  the 
masses,  to  whom  he  had  endeared  himself  by  his  witi- 
cisms,  honest  tongue,  and  quaint  philosophy  when  on  the 
stump  or  mingling  with  them  in  their  homes. 

The  convention,  which  met  in  early  spring  in  the  city 
of  Springfield,  was  to  be  composed  of  the  usual  number 
of  delegates.  The  contest  for  the  nomination  was  spirited 
and  exciting.  A  few  weeks  before  the  meeting  of  the 
convention  the  fact  was  found  by  the  leaders  that  the 
advantage  lay  with  Lincoln,  and  that,  unless  they  pulled 
some  very  fine  wires,  nothing  could  save  Baker.  They 
attempted  to  play  the  game  that  has  so  often  won,  by  "con- 
vincing" delegates  under  instructions  for  Lincoln  to  violate 
them  and  vote  for  Baker.  They  had  apparently  suc- 
ceeded.    "  The  plans  of  mice  and  men  aft  gang  aglee; "  so 


LINCOLN  STORIES. 

it  was  in  this  ease.  Two  days  before  the  convention  Lin- 
coln received  an  intimation  of  this,  and  late  at  night 
indited  the  following  letter.  The  letter  was  addressed 
to  Martin  Morris,  who  resides  at  Petersburg,  an  intimate 
friend  of  his,  and  by  him  circulated  among  those  who 
were  instructed  for  him  at  the  county  convention.  It 
had  the  desired  effect.  The  convention  met,  the  scheme 
of  the  conspirators  miscarried,  Lincoln  was  nominated, 
made  a  vigorous  canvass,  and  was  triumphantly  elected, 
thus  paving  the  way  for  his  more  extended  and  brilliant 
conquests.  This  letter,  Lincoln  has  often  told  his  friends, 
gave  him  ultimately  the  Chief  Magistracy  of  the  Nation. 
He  has  also  said  that  had  he  been  beaten  before  the  con- 
vention he  would  have  been  forever  obscured.  The  follow- 
ing is  a  verbatim  copy  of  the  epistle : 

"  April  14,  1843. — Friend  Moeeis:  I  have  heard  it 
intimated  that  Baker  has  been  attempting  to  get  you  or 
Miles,  or  both  of  you,,  to  violate  the  instructions  of  the 
meeting  that  appointed  you,  and  to  go  for  him.  I  have 
insisted,  and  still  insist,  that  this  cannot  be  true.  Surely 
Baker  would  not  do  the  like.  As  well  might  Hardin  ask 
me  to  vote  for  him  in  the  convention.  Again,  it  is  said 
there  will  be  an  attempt  to  get  up  instructions  in  your 
county  requiring  you  to  go  for  Baker.  This  is  all  wrong. 
Upon  the  same  rule  why  might  not  I  fly  from  the  decision 
against  me  in  Sangamon,  and  get  up  instruction  to  their 
delegates  to  go  for  me?  There  are  at  least  1,200  Whigs 
in  the  county  that  took  no  part,  and  yet  I  would  as  soon 
stick  my  head  in  the  fire  as  to  attempt  it.  Besides  if  any 
one  should  get  the  nomination  by  such  extraordinary 
means,  all  harmony  in  the  district  would  inevitably  be  lost. 
Honest  Whigs,  (and  very  nearly  all  of  them  are  honest) 


MISCELLANEOUS.  217 

would  not  quietly  abide  such  enormities.  I  repeat,  such 
an  attempt  on  Baker's  part  cannot  be  true.  Write  me  at 
Springfield  how  the  matter  is.  Don't  show  or  speak  ot 
this  letter.  A.  Lincoln.  " 

Mr.  Morris  did  show  the  letter,  and  Mr.  Lincoln  always 
thanked  his  stars  that  he  did. 


Lincoln's  Partner  Giving  up  His  Old  Kelics. 
The  following  is  a  copy  of  an  autograph  letter  of  Abra- 
nam  Lincolns'  which  was  received  by  Capt.  H.  A.  Parker, 
President  of  the  Eno-lewood  Soldiers'  Memorial  Association 
from  W„  H.  Herndon,  former  law  partner  of 
President  Lincoln : 

Springfield,  111.,  Oct.  10,  1860. — Dear  William'.  I 
cannot  give  you  details,  but  it  is  entirely  certain  that 
Pennsylvania  and  Indiana  have  gone  Republican  very 
largely.  Penn.  25,000  &  la.  5  to  10,000.  Ohio  of 
course  is  safe.     Yours  as  ever,  A.  Lincoln. 

Accompanying  the  above  is  a  leaf  from  Mr.  Lincolns' 
boy  copy-book.  The  two  relics  are  explained  in  full  by  a 
letter  from  Mr.  Herndon  to  Capt.  Parker,  of  which  the 
following  is  a  copy: 

Springfield,  111.,  Nov.  9,  1881. — Mr.  Parker — My 
Dear  Sir:  Inclosed  is  a  genuine  letter  from  Lincoln, 
addressed  to  myself,  dated  the  10th  day  of  October,  1860, 
a  few  days  before  Mr.  Lincolns'  election  to  the  Presidency. 
The  history  of  the  letter  is  as  follows:  I  was  in  Petersburg 
on  the  day  the  letter  is  dated,  and  in  the  evening,  say  at 
7  o'clock,  I  was  speaking  to  a  large  audience  in  the  court 
house  urging  Lincoln's  election.  I  had  spoken  about 
thirty  minutes,  when  a  runner  handed  me  the  letter,  and  I 
opened  it  in  dead  silence,  thinking  possibly  that  bad  news 


218  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

had  come  to  me,  possibly  Lincoln's  defeat.  However,  the 
dead  silence  was  soon  broken  by  the  reading  of  the  letter, 
first  to  myself  and  then  aloud,  as  loud  as  I  could,  and  then 
there  went  up  such  yells,  huzzas,  such  noise,  such  banging 
and  thumping  as  were  never  heard  in  that  house  of  justice 
before.  The  joy  of  the  crowd,  the  noise  of  the  yells,  etc., 
were  more  eloquent  than  I  was,  and  I  got  off  the  stand 
and  quit  my  jabber  in  presence  of  the  general  joy.  When 
Lincoln  wrote  the  letter  he  knew  that  he  was  elected  to 
the  Presidential  Chair.  He  must  have  been  grateful  to 
the  people,  and  happy.  I  can  see  his  feelings  in  his  hand- 
writing; he  trembled  a  little,  was  full  of  emotion,  joy  and 
happiness. 

I  hate  to  part  with  this  letter.  It  is  the  last  one  I  have, 
and  no  money  could  get  it.  I  willingly  give  it  to  you  for 
the  purposes  it  is  given — namely:  to  the  Soldiers'  Memo- 
rial Association  of  Englewood,  111.,  and  its  uses,  etc.,  etc. 
To  me  there  is  a  long  history  in  the  letter  and  its  glorious 
recollections. 

Again,  I  send  you  a  leaf  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  boy  copybook 
— a  book  in  which  Mr.  Lincoln  put  down  his  arithmetical 
sums  worked  out. 

I  was  collecting  the  facts  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  life  in  1865-6 
and  went  into  Coles  County,  Illinois,  to  see  his  step- 
mother; found  the  motherly,  good  old  lady,  and  took  down 
her  testimony,  etc.,  as  material  of  his  life,  etc.  During 
her  examination  she  let  drop,  in  her  conversation,  the  fact 
that  Mr.  Lincoln  when  a  boy  had  two  copybooks,  in  which 
he  wrote  down  his  sums  worked  out,  and  wrote  out  in  his 
literary  one  what  seemed  strong,  beautiful  or  good.  We, 
the  Lincoln  family  and  myself,  commenced  the  search  and 
found  the  arithmetical  book,  but  not  the  other;  it  is  gone, 


MISCELLANEOUS.  219 

and  gone  forever.  I  willingly  send  you  a  leaf  ot  said 
copybook  for  the  use  and  purposes  above,  and  for  no  other. 
I  say  this  of  the  letter  and  the  leaf.  I  would  not  spare 
them  under  any  other  consideration.  God  bless  the 
soldier  and  his  friend! 

To  keep  the  pieces,  get  two  glasses  and  put  the  letter 
between  them ;  have  it  framed,  and  the  letter  thus  framed 
and  between  two  glasses  will  last  for  ages  hung  on  the 
wall.  To  keep  the  leaf  and  letter,  get  two  glasses,  say  6x7 
inches  for  the  latter,  and  10x12  for  the  leaf — clean  and 
clear  glass  like  perfect  window  glass — put  the  paper  and 
the  leaf  between  the  two  glasses,  hang  up  in  the  hall,  and 
it  will  last  for  ages,  keep  a  watch-out  that  too  much  light 
does  not  exhaust  the  ink :  dry  it  out  or  up,  etc.  Hur- 
riedly your  friend.  •  W.  H.  Herndon. 


Capture  of  Booth,  the  Assassin. 

Capt.  Edward  P.  Doherty,  who  commanded  the  detach- 
ment that  captured  Booth  and  Arnold  after  the  assassin- 
ation of  President  Lincoln,  has  given  a  very  full  account 
of  how  the  capture  was  effected.  The  story  is  told  as  fol- 
lows: After  Garrett  had  designated  the  direction  of  the 
barn,  Capt.  Doherty  said  to  Sergt.  Boston  Corbett :  '  Dis- 
mount your  men,  detail  a  few  to  watch  the  house,  and 
bring  the  remainder  here.'  Capt.  Doherty  then  surround- 
ed the  barn  with  his  men,  and  going  to  the  front  door, 
placed  a  lighted  candle,  which  he  had  held  in  his  hand  for 
some  time,  near  the  front  entrance  of  the  barn.  Unlock- 
ing the  door,  Capt.  Doherty  called  upon  those  in  the  barn 
to  come  out  and  surrender,  but  no  answer  was  made  to 
this  and  subsequent  frequent  and  loud  demands  of  a   like 


220  LINCOLN  STORIES 

character.  Capt.  Doherty  then  passed  among  his  senti- 
nels who  surrounded  the  barn,  when  he  was  informed  that 
whispering  and  the  moving  of  hay  had  been  heard  from 
the  inside. 

Capt.  Doherty  then  said : «  If  you  don't  come  out,  I'll 
set  fire  to  the  building  and  burn  you  out.'  As  there  was 
no  answer  even  to  this,  Capt.  Doherty  ordered  Corp.  ISew- 
garten  to  pile  some  shavings  and  hay  in  the  opening,  and 
set  fire  to  it.  "While  he  was  piling  it  up  a  voice  said  to 
the  corporal:  'If  you  come  back  there  I'll  put  a  bullet 
through  you.'  Capt.  Doherty,  who  was  standing  near 
Newgarten,  then  quietly  ordered  him  to  desist,  and  deter- 
mined to  wait  till  daylight  before  making  any  further  dem- 
onstrations. 

At  this  time  quite  a  long  conversation  took  place  be- 
tween Capt.  Doherty  and  J.  "Wilkes  Booth.  The  former, 
after  hearing  the  threat  of  the  latter,  called  again  for  a 
surrender,  when  Booth  replied:  '  "Who  do  you  take  us  for?' 
Capt.  Doherty  responded:  '  It  don't  make  any  difference 
who  I  take  you  for,  I  am  going  to  arrest  you.'  Then 
Booth  said:  '  Boys,  fetch  me  a  stretcher.  Another  stain 
in  our  glorious  banner.' 

Walking  around  the  barn  and  returning  near  the  door 
Capt.  Dolierty  heard  a  whispered  conversation  between 
Booth  and  Harrold  from  the  inside.  Booth  then  said 
aloud:  '  I  am  crippled  and  alone;  give  me  a  chance  for  my 
lite;  draw  your  men  up  at  twenty -five  paces  and  I  will 
come  out.' 

Capt.  Doherty  replied:  'I didn't  come  here  to  fight, 
but  to  capture  you.     I  have  fifty  men  here  and  can  do  it.' 

In  the  meantime  Harrold  had  approached  the  door, 
when  Capt.  Doherty  said  to  him,  'Let  me  see  your  hands,' 


MISCELLANEOUS.  221 

when  Harrold  put  both  hands  out  through  the  door  and 
Capt.  Doherty,  seizing  them,  handed  Harrold  over  to  the 
corporal  at  the  door. 

While  this  conversation  was  going  on,  and  as  Capt. 
Doherty  was  in  the  act  of  taking  Harrold  out  of  the  front 
door,  the  barn  had  been  fired  in  the  rear.  The  flames 
burst  suddenly  forth.  Booth,  who  had  left  his  position  in 
the  barn  to  the  right  of  the  opening  referred  to  above,  near 
the  candle,  took  a  position  in  the  centre  of  the  barn  facing 
the  door,  and,  raising  his  carbine,  pointed  it  in  the  direc- 
tion of  Harrold  and  Capt.  Doherty,  when  Sergt.  Corbett, 
who  was  stationed  at  one  oi  the  openings  in  the  barn  to  the 
left  of  Booth,  observing  the  movement,  leveled  a  large- 
sized  Colt's  revolver  at  Booth  and  fired,  intending  to  hit 
him  in  the  arm  for  the  purpose  of  disabling  him,  but  the 
ball  entered  his  neck,  about  one  inch  from  the  same  point 
as  Booth  shot  president  Lincoln. 

On  hearing  the  shot,  and  being  at  the  time  ignorant  of 
the  movement  or  intention  of  Booth,  Capt.  Doherty  sup- 
posed that  he  had  shot  himself  rather  than  surrender, 
when  the  officers  rushed  into  the  barn,  and  by  the  light  of 
the  burning  building  saw  Booth  with  the  carbine  between 
his  legs,  one  of  his  crutches  having  dropped,  and  Booth 
in  the  act  of  falling  forward,  when  Captain  Doherty 
caught  him  with  both  arms  around  the  body  and  carried 
him  outside  of  the  barn,  and  laid  him  down;  but  the  heat 
becoming  too  intense,  Capt.  Doherty  ordered  him  removed 
under  the  veranda  of  the  Garrett  mansion. 

Soldiers  were  then  dispatched  in  different  directions 
for  doctors,  but  only  one,  Dr.  Urquart,  could  be  found,  he 
arriving  about  6  a.  m.,  and,  after  probing  the  wound,  pro- 


22Z  LINCOLN'  STORIES. 

nounced  it  fatal,  the  ball  having  ranged  upward,  cutting  a 
vital  part. 

From  the  time  that  Booth  was  shot,  5  o'clock,  to  the 
time  he  expired,  two  hours  later,  he  spoke  but  once,  and 
that  was  to  Capt.  Doherty,  shortly  before  6  o'clock,  when 
he  said  to  him,  '  Hands.'  Capt.  Doherty  lifted  up  his 
hands,  when  Booth  looked  at  them  for  an  instant,  and, 
shaking  his  head,  exclaimed,  'Useless,  useless.'  A  short 
time  after  this  he  became  unconscious,  and  so  remained 
until  he  expired. 

Capt.  Doherty,  after  wrapping  the  body  of  Booth  in 
his  saddle  blanket,  sewed  the  blanket  together  with  his 
own  hands,  and,  having  placed  the  body  on  a  cart  which 
was  obtained  from  an  old  negro  residing  about  two  miles 
distant,  proceeded  with  the  body  and  the  prisoner,  Harrold 
to  Belle  Plain,  where  the  Ide  was  awaiting  the  return  of 
the  command,  which  arrived  at  6  p.  m.,  when  the  Ide  pro- 
ceeded to  Washington,  where  the  body  of  Booth  and  the 
prisoner,  Harrold,  were  turned  over  to  the  officers  of  the 
United  States  iron-clad  monitor  Montauk,  Capt.  Doherty 
having  received  orders  from  the  department  commander 
so  to  do.  This  was  at  3  o'clock  on  the  morning  of 
the  27th. 

In  reference  to  the  different  statements  that  Booth 
was  never  captured  nor  killed,  and  that  he  is  alive  to-day, 
Capt.  Doherty  says  that  it  is  the  sheerest  nonsense  in  the 
world,  as,  in  the  first  place,  Capt.  Doherty  knew  J.  Wilkes 
Booth  personally,  and  was  in  his  company  at  the  National 
hotel  in  Washington  about  two  months  previous  to  the 
assassination.  In  the  second  place,  at  the  post  mortem 
examination,  held  on  the  27  of  April,  Booth  was  fully 
indentified  by  Dr.  May,  his  attending  physician,  who  had 


MISCELLANEOUS.  223 

performed  an  operation  upon  his  neck,  and  by  Mr.  Daw- 
son, proprietor  of  the  National  hotel,  where  he  boarded 
during  his  residence  in  Washington,  and  also  by  other 
well-known  eitizens,  to  the  full  satisfaction  of  the 
government. 

In  the  third  place,  after  the  body  of  Booth  was  buried 
in  a  cell  in  the  penitentiary  at  the  arsenel  in  Washington, 
the  remains  were  delivered  over  to  his  relatives  four  years 
later,  upon  application  to  President  Johnson,  and  they 
now  rest  in  the  family  vault  near  Baltimore,  Md.,  thus 
proving  that  the  members  of  his  own  family  recognize  the 
fact  that  the  body  lying  there  is  the  last  mortal  remains 
of  J.  Wilkes  Booth. 


Wilkes  Booth's  Pursuer. 

Joseph  B.  Stewart,  a  lawyer,  was  the  man  who  leaped 
on  the  stage  of  Ford's  theatre  in  Washington  on  the 
night  of  April  14,  1865,  and  followed  John  Wilkes  Booth 
behind  the  scenes  into  the  alley  where  the  saddled  horse 
was  in  waiting.  Everybody  else  in  the  theatre  was  dazed 
at  what  had  occurred,  or  was  thoughtful  only  of  the 
wounded  man. 

Mr.  Stewart  sat  with  his  family  next  to  the  orchestra 
rail  to  the  right  of  the  middle  aisle.  To  his  right,  in  the 
proscenium  box  of  the  second  tier  was  President  Lincoln. 
Mr.  Stewart  heard  the  fatal  shot,  and,  looking  up,  saw  the 
President's  head  fall  forward  on  his  bosom.  The  stage  was 
empty.  The  next  instant  Booth  stepped  on  the  balustrade 
of  the  box  to  leap  down  to  the  stage.  As  he  stood  poised 
with  a  dagger  in  his  hand,  Stewart,  who  had  had  a  slight 
acquaintance  with  him,  recognized  him,  and  at  a  glance 
and  took  in  the  situation. 


224  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

Booth's  spur  was  caught  in  some  of  the  drapery,  and  as 
he  fell  to  the  stage  his  back  was  toward  the  spectators. 
The  words  "  Sic  semjper  Tyrannis "  were  uttered  before 
his  feet  touched  the  stage.  He  sprang  up  and  brandish- 
ing the  dagger,  strode  diagonally  across  the  stage  to  the 
opposite  side.  As  he  arose  Mr.  Stewart  sprang  to  the  top 
of  the  orchestra  rail,  but  his  foot  slipped.  He  lost  an 
instant  in  mending  his  hold,  and  then  leaped  over  the 
intervening  space  to  the  foot-lights.  Had  he  known  the 
position  of  the  rear  entrance  to  the  theatre,  he  could  have 
reached  it  as  soon  as  Booth  did.  As  it  was,  he  was  com- 
pelled to  follow  the  fugitive  diagonally  to  the  left  and  then 
back  across  the  stage  behind  the  scenes. 

The  door  was  shut  in  his  face,  and  he  could  not  readily 
open  it.  "When  he  did,  he  saw  Booth  springing  into  the 
saddle.  The  horse's  head  was  toward  a  brick  wall.  Stew- 
art sprang  forward  to  grasp  the  left  rein.  As  he  did  so 
Booth  turned  the  animal  toward  the  right,  and,  backing  it 
as  it  turned,  its  rump  threw  Stewart  against  the  wall. 
Then  came  a  race  across  the  court  yard  toward  a  sharp 
turn  that  led  to  the  alley  opening  into  F  sreet.  The 
horse  could  not  be  galloped  in  this  yard,  and  Stewart 
nearly  caught  up  with  it  on  its  left  side,  but  was  again 
crowded  against  a  wall.  He  was  between  the  horse  and 
the  wall. 

Booth  made  one  stroke  at  his  pursurer  with  the  dagger 
that  he  yet  held,  but  seemed  to  be  anxious  to  get  away  with- 
out shedding  more  blood. 

While  the  latter  was  yet  struggling  for  the  bridle-rein, 
Booth  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the  alley,  and,  putting 
his  horse  into  a  gallop,  soon  rattled  out  of  sight. 


SfclSCELLANEOUSr  225 

Subsequently  Stewart  was  asked  by  a  friend  why  he 
was  so  anxious  to  get  hold  of  the  bridle. 

"  Because,"  the  giant  said,  "  I  knew  exactly  what  to  do 
if  I  got  hold  of  the  bit.  I  would  have  thrown  the  horse 
over  on  his  back.  Yet  I  think,"  he  added,  "  it  was  very 
fortunate  that  I  did  not  catch  him.  The  theatre  was 
filled  with  soldiers.  The  feeling  after  the  first  moment  of 
inaction  was  one  of  intense  bitterness.  They  came  pour- 
ing over  the  stage  and  out  of  the  stage  door.  If  Booth 
had  been  there  he  would  have  been  shot  into  pieces.  Many 
of  themselves  would  have  accidentally  fallen  victims  to 
their  reckless  fury.  I  suppose  that  if  I  had  stood  there 
holding  him  when  they  came  out  my  virtues  would  now 
be  proclaimed  to  a  careless  w»rld  on  a  piece  of  marble. 
Besides,  it  was  better  as  it  was.  If  Booth  had  been  killed, 
then  the  plot  for  the  assassination  would  never  have  been 
discovered. " 


Secretary  Usher's  Keminiscenees  of  Lincoln— An  Interest- 
ing Chapter. 

Secretary   Usher,   who    was  a   member  of     Lincolns' 

Cabinet,  and  an  old  friend,  gives  the  following  interesting 

reminiscences : 

LINCOLN    AS   A    LAWYER. 

Lincoln  belonged  to  the  reasoning  class  of  men.  He 
dealt  with  his  own  mind  and  turned  things  over  there, 
seeking  the  truth  until  he  established  it  and  it  became  a 
conviction.  As  a  lawyer,  he  never  claimed  everything  for 
his  client.  He  stated  something  of  both  sides  of  the 
case.  I  have  known  him  to  say!  "  Now,  I  don't  think 
my  client  is  entitled  to  the  whole  of  what  he  claims.  In 
this  point  or  that  point  he  may  have  been  in  error.     He 


226  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

must  rebate  something  of  his  claim."  He  was  also  very- 
careful  about  giving  personal  offense,  and  if  he  had  some- 
thing severe  to  say,  he  would  turn  to  his  opponent  or  to 
the  person  about  to  be  referred  to  and  say:  "  I  don't  like 
to  use  this  language,'  or, '  I  am  sorry  that  I  have  to  be 
hard  on  that  gentleman;'  and,  therefore,  what  he  did  say 
was  thrice  as  effective,  and  very  seldom  wounded  the 
person  attacked.  Throughout  Mr.  Lincoln's  life  that  kind 
of  wisdom  attended  him,  and  made  him  the  great  and 
skillful  politician  he  was  in  handling  people.  He  had  a 
smooth,  manly,  pleasing  voice,  and  when  arguing  in  court, 
that  voice  attracted  the  jury,  and  did  not  tire  them,  so 
that  they  followed  his  argument  throughout.  He  was  not 
a  graceful  man.  He  would  lean  on  the  back  of  a  chair,  or 
put  the  chair  behind  him,  or  stand  hipshotten,  or  with 
arras  akimbo,  but  yet  there  was  a  pleasure  in  listening  to 
him,  because  he  seemed  so  unmercenary. 

Lincoln's  ambition. 
I  do  not  think  Lincoln  was  ambitious  at  all.  It  seems 
to  me  that  his  object  in  life  was  no  greater  than  to  make 
a  living  for  his  family.  The  dream  of  avarice  never 
crossed  him.  He  took  no  initial  stc^D  to  reach  the 
Presidency  or  the  Senate,  and  was  rather  pushed  forward, 
than  a  volnnteer.  I  can't  recall  in  those  days  when  he 
attended  court  that  he  ever  spoke  about  himself  or  took 
any  satisfaction  in  victory  over  an  adversary,  or  repeated 
any  good  thing  he  had  done  or  said.  As  a  partisan  he 
always  reasoned  for  the  good  of  the  party,  and  not  concern- 
ing his  own  advancement.  Consequently,  when  the 
people  had  made  up  their  minds  that  there  was  talent  in 
him,  of  a  remarkable  kind,  they  came  to  his  assistance 
with  o.  spotaneity  and  vehemence  that  was  electrical.     He 


MISCELLANEOUS.  227 

reaped  the  great  reward  of  unselfishness  as  few  men  have 
ever  done. 

mr.  Lincoln's  nature. 

I  can  recall  a  certain  incident  that  illustrates  Lincoln's 
nature.  Somewhere  near  the  town  of  Parris  there  was  a 
Whig  population,  with  strong  prejudices  in  favor  of  pro- 
tecting slavery.  These  people  liked  Lincoln,  and  believed 
in  him,  and  saw  with  pain  that  he  was  becoming  a  Radical. 
They  came  to  him  during  court  and  said:  'We  want  you 
to  come  up  and  talk  to  us.  We  don't  want  to  quarrel  with 
you,  and  will  hear  all  you  have  to  say;  but  something 
must  be  wrong  when  as  fair  a  man  as  you  is  drifting  over 
to  Abolitionism.'  'Very  well,'  said  Mr.  Lincoln, 'I  will 
come  up  on  such  a  clay  and  give  you  my  views.'  Lincoln 
went  on  that  day,  and  made  a  temperate,  sweet-toothed, 
cordial  address  on  the  issues  of  the  day.  He  said:  'My 
friends,  I  perceive  you  will  not  agree  with  me,  but  that 
ought  to  make  no  difference  in  our  relations  with  each 
other.  You  hear  me,  as  you  always  have,  with  kindness, 
and  I  shall  respect  your  views,  as  I  hope  you  will  mine.' 
They  heard  Lincoln  through,  and  dismissed  him  with 
respect,  but  did  not  agree  with  him.  There  was  another 
person  up  there  by  the  name  of  Stephens,  who  was  lame, 
and  he  undertook  to  emphasize  Lincoln's  views,  and  put 
his  foot  in  it.  A  certain  doctor,  of  Southern  origin, 
interrupted  Stephens,  and  said  he  would  thrash  him. 
Stevens  turned  around  and  replied,  '  Well,  doctor,  you  can 
thrash  me,  or  do  anything  of  a  violent  sort  to  me,  if  you 
don't  give  any  of  your  pills.'  Lincoln  used  to  tell  this 
story  with  a  good  deal  of  delight.  You  see,  in  those  days 
the  settlers  in  Illinois  would  live  in  the  edges  of  the  tim- 


5228  LINCOLN  STORIES 

ber,  which  grew  in  spots  and  patches,  and  left  naked  prai- 
rie between  the  groves.  It  was  at  such  a  place  that  Lin- 
coln made  that  speech  on  the  slavery  question. 

LINCOLN  AND  THE  LADIES. 

He  was  almost  wholly  possessed  with  a  sense  of  duty 
and  responsibility.  He  was  not  shy  in  the  company  of 
ladies,  but  I  don't  think  he  thought  anything  about  them 
until  they  came  before  him  as  guests  and  callers.  Some 
of  the  women  gave  him  a  good  deal  of  trouble.  Some  of 
his  wife's  people  were  southerners,  and  public  attacks  were 
made  on  them;  as,  for  instance,  it  was  said  that  one  of 
them  had  gone  through  the  lines  with  a  pass  from  Mr. 
Lincoln,  and  taken  a  quantity  of  medicine,  etc.  I  remem- 
ber that  an  old  partner  in  law  of  mine  brought  his  wife 
to  Washington,  and  they  wanted  to  see  Mr.  Lincoln.  There 
was  a  great  crowd  awaiting  around  his  door,  but  the  door- 
keeper admitted  us  at  once,  and  Mr.  Lincoln  came  forward 
with  both  hands  extended  and  shook  the  lady's  hand, 
rather  divining  that  she  was  the  wife  of  my  partner.  He 
told  a  little  anecdote  or  two,  and  said  some  quaint  things, 
and  when  the  lady  came  out  she  said  to  me:  "Why  I  don't 
think  that  he  is  an  ugly  man  at  all.  "  He  was  almost  a 
father  to  his  wife.  He  seemed  to  be  possessed  of  the 
notion  that  she  was  under  his  protection,  and  that  he  must 
look  out  for  her  like  a  willful  child. 

Lincoln's  temper. 
1  remember  one  event  showing  Lincoln's  temper.  He 
had  issued  a  proclamation  stating  that  when  one-tenth  of 
the  voters  of  a  Congressional  district,  or  a  part  of  a  State, 
resumed  their  position  in  the  Union,  and  elected  a  member 
of  Congress,  they  should  be  recognized  as  much  as  the 


MISCELLANEOUS.  229 

whole  constituency.  Chase  remarked.  <  Instead  of  saying 
voters,  I  suggest  that  you  put  in  citizens!'  I  saw  in  a 
minute  what  Chase  was  driving  at.  This  question  had 
arisen  as  to  who  were  citizens,  and  Mr.  Bates,  the  Attor- 
ney-General, had  pronounced  negroes  to  be  citizens.  The 
law  of  the  administration,  therefore,  was,  that  negroes 
were  included  in  citizenship.  As  I  walked  away  from  the 
Cabinet  that  day  Chase  was  at  my  side,  and  he  said :  Mr 
Usher,  we  must  stick  to  it  that  citizens,  and  not  voters,  be 
named  in  that  proclamation.'  I  turned  about  when  we 
had  got  to  the  Treasury,  and  walked  back  on  the  plank 
which  at  that  time  led  to  the  White  House,  and  I  told 
Lincoln  that  Chase  was  very  pertinacious  about  the  word 
citizens  instead  of  voters.  '  Yes '  said  Lincoln,  '  Chase 
thinks  that  the  negroes,  as  citizens,    will  all  vote  to  make 

him  President. ' 

Lincoln's  sadness. 

Lincoln  was,  in  his  fixed  quality,  a  man  of  sadness.  If 
he  were  looking  out  of  a  window  when  alone,  and  you 
happened  to  be  passing  by  and  caught  his  eye,  you  would 
generally  see  in  it  an  expression  of  distress. 

He  was  one  of  the  greatest  men  who  ever  lived.  It  has 
now  been  many  years  since  1  was  in  his  Cabinet,  and 
some  of  the  things  that  happened  there  have  been  forgot- 
ten, and  the  whole  of  it  is  rather  dreamy.  But  Lincoln's 
extraordinary  personality  is  still  one  of  the  most  distinct 
things  in  my  memory.  He  was  as  wise  as  a  serpent.  He 
had  the  skill  of  the  greatest  statesman  in  the  world. 
Everything  he  handled  came  to  success.  Nobody  took  up 
his  work  and  brought  it  to  the  same  perfection. 

his  kindness. 
Lincoln  had  more  patience  than   anybody  around   him. 


230  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

Sometimes,  when  we  were  considering  a  thing  of  import- 
ance in  the  Cabinet,  his  little  son  would  push  open  the 
door  and  come  in  with  a  drum  and  beat  it  up  and  down 
the  room,  giving  us  all  a  certain  amount  ot  misery.  Mr. 
Lincoln,  however,  never  ordered  the  boy  to  be  taken  out, 
but  would  say:  'My  son,  don't  you  think  you  can  make  a 
little  less  noise?'  That  Thaddeus  was  a  stubborn  little 
chap.  We  could  not  make  up  with  him  when  he  got 
offended.  Robert  was  as  well-behaved  a  young  man  as  I 
have  ever  seen.  He  went  to  Hartford  and  graduated,  and 
we  entertained  high  respect  for  him. 

SEWARD  AND  LINCOLN. 

I  think  that  Lincoln  had  a  real  fondness  and  admira- 
tion for  Seward.  There  was  no  suspicion  or  rivalry 
whatever,  between  them.  Seward  supported  Lincoln  in 
every  position  or  scruple  that  he  had.  My  impression  is, 
that  those  two  men  were  as  cordial  and  intimate  as  any 
two  persons  of  such  prominence  could  be. 

After  Caleb  Smith,  of  Indiana,  was  made  a  member  of 
the  Cabinet,  he  desired  me  to  be  his  Assistant  Secretary. 
Mr.  Smith  was  nominated  District  Judge  of  the  United 
States  in  the  course  of  time,  and  then  Mr.  Lincoln  pro- 
moted me  at  Smith's  request.  I  was  in  the  Cabinet 
somewhat  more  than  two  years,  and  a  part  of  the  time  was 
under  Mr.  Johnson.  That  Cabinet  was  very  ill-assorted. 
My  predecessor,  Judge  Smith,  was  a  kind  man,  but  with- 
out much  discrimination  as  to  his  followers.  There  hardly 
was  ever  such  a  thing  as  a  regular  Cabinet  meeting  in  the 
sense  ot  form.  Under  Johnson  and  under  Grant,  I  have 
seen  a  table  with  chairs  placed  in  regular  order  around  it, 
as  if  for  Cabinet  council.  Nothing  of  that  kind  ever 
occurred  in  Mr.  Lincolns'  Cabinet.     Seward  would  come 


MISCELLANEOUS.  231 

m  and  lie  down  on  a  settee.  Stanton  hardly  ever  stayed 
more  than  five  or  ten  minutes.  Sometime  Seward  would 
tell  the  President  the  outline  of  some  paper  he  was  writing 
on  a  State  matter.  Lincoln  generally  stood  up  and  walked 
about.  In  fact,  every  member  of  that  Cabinet  ran  his  own 
Department  in  his  own  way.  I  don't  suppose  that  such  a 
historic  period  was  ever  so  simply  operated  from  the  center 
of  powers.  Lincoln  trusted  all  his  subordinates  and  they 
worked  out  their  own  performances.  "  I  regard  Seward," 
said  Mr.  Usher,  "  as  on  the  whole  the  strong  man  of  the 
Cabinet,  the  counsel  of  the  President." 

LINCOLN   AND   MRS.    FREMONT. 

Well,  there  was  the  case  of  John  C.  Fremont.  He 
had  made  up  his  mind  to  run  a  little  enterprise  of  his  own. 
When  he  got  into  Missouri  he  soon  quarreled  with  Frank 
Blair,  and  Montgomery  Blair  started  on  to  St.  Louis. 
Meantime  Mrs.  Fremont  came  East,  passing  Blair  on  the 
road,  and  the  same  night  she  arrived  went  up  to  the 
President.  She  demanded  to  know  what  Montgomery 
Blair  had  gone  to  Missouri  for.  Mr.  Lincoln  said  he 
didn't  know.  '  Has  he  gone  out  to  remove  my  husband?' 
said  Mrs.  Fremont.  'You  cannot  remove  Gen.  Fremont. 
He  would  not  be  removed.'  Mr.  Lincoln  instantly  began 
to  talk  about  the  difficulties  of  making  a  journey  from  St. 
Louis  City  to  Washington  alone.  Three  or  four  times 
during  the  conversation  she  repeated,  'Gen.  Fremont  can 
not  be  removed.'  Lincoln  evaded  that  part  of  the  talk 
every  time,  and  she  left  unsatisfied. 

HOW   LINCOLN   BECAME    PRESIDENT. 

Mr.  Lincoln  became  President  mainly  on  the  score  of 
his  debate  with  Douglas.     He  had  never  been  in  any  great 


232  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

prominence  as  an  office-holder.  His  thorough-going  devo- 
tion to  his  party  brought  him  universal  good-will,  however, 
and  he  grew  so  harmoniously  into  the  advocacy  of  Repub- 
lican principles  and  opposition  to  Douglas'  notion  of 
squatter  sovereignty,  that  there  was  a  general  desire  to  see 
him  come  forward  and  debate  with  Douglas.  I  can  tell 
you  something  interesting  about  the  debate.  Lincoln  had 
no  money.  He  was  in  no  position  to  match  a  man  of 
Douglas'  financial  resources.  The  people  in  Lincoln's 
following,  however,  put  their  hands  in  their  pockets  and 
subscribed  for  a  band  of  music  to  appear  with  him,  and 
that  band  was  procured  in  Indiana.  They  put  the  band 
on  a  wagon  to  send  it  by  the  roads  from  point  to  point  of 
meeting.  Douglas  meantime  came  on  to  New  York  and 
borrowed  $100,000.  I  think  he  got  some  of  it  from  Ben 
"Wood  and  Fernando  Wood.  He  then  took  a  special  train 
of  cars  and  made  a  sort  of  triumphal  tour  of  the  State, 
designing  to  carry  the  Senatorship  by  storm.  Lincoln 
said  after  the  contest  was  over  with  a  certain  serious  grim- 
ness,  '  I  reckon  that  the  campaign  has  cost  me  fully  $250. ' 
it  was  generally  understood  in  the  west  that  the  same 
campaign  cost  Douglas  $100,000.  Lincoln's  speeches 
against  Douglas  were  extemporaneous,  and  he  never 
revised  them.  My  impression  is  that  young  McCullagh, 
now  an  editor  in  St.  Louis,  was  the  stenographer  of  Lin- 
coln's speeches.  Douglas  did  revise  his  remarks.  They 
met  seven  times,  it  I  remember.  Lincoln  reasoned  so 
closely  and  carefully  on  Douglas'  false  statements  that  he 
came  out  of  the  campaign  covered  with  respect,  and 
instantly  the  movement  started  to  make  him  President. 
*  I  think  it  is  due,"  said  Mr.  Usher,  "  to  Mr.   Seward's 


MISCELLANEOUS.  233 

memory  to  say  that  his  extreme  views  on  the  slavery  ques- 
tion hel^~d  to  beat  him." 

CARELESS  OF  HIS  LIFE. 

Lincoln  was  too  careless.  He  would  go  out  of  his 
house  at  night  and  walk  over  to  the  War  Department, 
where  Stanton  was  receiving  dispatches  unattended.  I  said 
to  him:  "Lincoln,  you  have  no  business  to  expose  your- 
self in  this  way.  It  is  known  that  you  go  out  at  midnight 
and  return  here  sometimes  at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning 
from  the  War  Department.  It  would  be  very  easy  to 
kill  you.  "  The  President  replied  that  if  anybody  desired 
to  assassinate  him  he  did  not  suppose  any  amount  of  care 
would  save  him. 

Lincoln's  plan  of  reconstruction. 
"  Lincoln  would  have  made,"  says  Mr.  Usher,  "  a  pow- 
erful white  Republican  party  in  every  Southern  State. 
He  had  that  in  him  which  would  have  made  the  Southern 
people  support  him  in  preference  to  the  radical  Northern 
politicians.  Lincoln  would  have  said  in  private  to  their 
leaders,  '  You  will  have  to  stand  in  with  me  and  help  me 
out;  otherwise  Sumner  and  Stevens  and  those  fellows  will 
beat  us  both.'  He  would  have  said,  '  You  go  back  home 
and  start  some  schools  yourselves  for  the  negroes,  and  put 
them  on  the  route  to  citizanship.  Let  it  be  your  own 
work.  Make  some  arrangements  to  give  them  some  land 
ultimately  out  of  the  public  domain  in  your  States.  In 
that  way  you  will  have  them  your  friends  politically,  and 
your  prosperity  will  not  be  embarrassed.'  Only  Mr.  Lin- 
coln could  have  carried  out  this  platform.  His  tempera- 
ment, eminence  and  quality  all  adapted  him  for  such  a 
great  part. 


234  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

Abraham  Lincoln  as  a  Lover. 

A  writer  to  the  Springfield  Republican  gives  the  fol- 
lowing exceedingly  interesting  account  of  the  early  loves 
of  Abraham  Lincoln: 

The  death  of  Mrs.  Lincoln  at  the  home  of  that  sister 
where  she  was  first  met  and  was  courted  by  her  future 
husband,  closes  the  iamily  life  of  the  great  President. 
She  was  not  his  first  or  his  deepest  love.  That  distinction 
belongs  to  Ann  Rutledge,  whose  father  was  the  founder 
of  New  Salem,  on  the  Sangamon,  a  village  which  is  now 
deserted.  Rutledge  was  one  of  the  famous  South  Caro- 
lina families,  and  his  daughter,  four  years  younger  than 
Lincoln,  seems  to  have  impressed  the  whole  community 
as  a  lovely  and  refined  girl,  unaffected,  "  a  blonde  in  com- 
plexion, with  golden  hair,  cherry-red  lips,  and  a  bonny 
blue  eye, "  says  McNamara.  McNamara  was  the  lover 
who  first  won  her  heart.  He  went  home  to  New  York  to 
take  west  his  parents,  but  was  detained  some  years  in 
New  York.  In  the  mean  time  Lincoln  pressed  his  suit, 
and  the  girl's  parents  doubted  whether  McNamara  would 
ever  come  back;  she  gave  her  love  to  Lincoln,  but  insisted 
on  waiting  for  a  formal  release  from  McNamara  before 
marriage.  This  waiting  told  upon  her  sensitive  organism, 
her  health  declined,  and  she  died  of  what  was  called  brain 
fever  on  Aug.  25,  1835.  This  was  the  great  grief  of 
Lincoln's  youth.  His  reason  was  unsettled  and  his  friend, 
Bowlin  Greene,  had  to  take  him  off  to  a  lonely  log  cabin 
and  keep  him  until  he  recovered  his  sanity.  Then  was 
when  he  learned  the  poem  beginning: 

Oh,  why  should  the  spirit  of  mortal  be  proud? 

An  old  friend  who  asked  him  after  his  election  to  the 


MISCELLANEOUS.  235 

Presidency  if  It  was  true  that  he  loved  and  courted  Ann 
Rutledge,  got  this  reply : 

"  It  is  true — true;  indeed  I  did.  I  have  loved  the 
name  of  Rutledge  to  this  day.  It  was  my  first.  I  loved 
the  woman  dearly.  She  was  a  handsome  girl;  would  have 
made  a  good,  loving  wife;  was  natural  and  quite  intellect- 
ual, though  not  highly  educated.  I  did  honestly  and 
truly  love  the  girl,  and  think  often,  often  of  her  now." 

McNamara  returned  soon  after  her  death,  lived  near  the 
little  burying  ground,  and  in  1866  pointed  out  the  grave 
of  Ann  Rutledge  to  Mr.  Herndon.  This  affair  had  a 
marked  effect  upon  Lincoln's  life,  and  added  to  its  somber 
tone;  but  it  probably  had  also  a  deeper  meaning  in  puri- 
fying and  ennobling  his  inner  nature. 

Mr.  Lincoln,  who  by  this  time  was  a  member  of  the 
legislature,  and  about  27,  next  "  paid  attentions  "  to  a  Miss 
Owens,  a  smart  young  woman  of  some  avoirdupois,  who 
once  told  him  that  she  thought  he  was  "  lacking  in  the 
smaller  attentions,  those  little  links  which  make  up  the 
great  chain  of  woman's  happiness,"  because  he  dangled 
along  by  her  side  once  when  they  were  going  up  a  hill,  and 
allowed  her  friend,  Mrs.  Bowlin  Greene,  to  "  carry  a  big, 
fat  child,  and  crossly  disposed,"  up  the  hill.  A  still  more 
untoward  incident  happened  once  at  Mrs.  Abie's,  a  sister 
of  Miss  Owens.  Lincoln  had  sent  word  to  Abie's  that  he 
was  coming  down  to  see  Miss  Owens.  She,  girl  fashion, 
to  test  her  lover,  went  off  "to  Graham's,"  about  a  mile 
and  a  half.  When  Lincoln  came  and  was  so  informed,  he 
asked  if  Miss  Owens  did  not  know  he  was  coming.  Mrs. 
Able  said  no,  but  one  of  her  enfantes  terribles  promptly 
replied:     "  Yes,  ma,  she  did,  for  I  heard  Sam  tell  her  so." 

"  Lincoln  sat  awhile  and  then  went  about  his  business," 


236  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

says  Lamon's  account.     Letters  exist  from  Lincoln  to  Miss 
Owens  in  1836  and  1839,  in  one  ot  which  he  says: 

"  If  you  feel  yourself  in  any  degree  bound  to  me,  I  am 
now  willing  to  release  you,  provided  you  wish  it;  while, 
on  the  other  hand,  I  am  willing  and  even  anxious  to  bind 
you  taster,  if  I  can  be  convinced  that  it  will,  in  any  con- 
siderable degree,  add  to  your  happiness.  This,  indeed,  is 
the  whole  question  with  me.  Nothing  would  make  me 
more  miserable  than  to  believe  you  miserable — nothing 
more  happy  than  to  know  you  were  so." 

This  is  the  language  of  an  honorable  man,  a  cool  lover, 
and  a  practiced  hand  in  the  English  language.  Miss 
Owens  declined  his  hand  and  lived  to  marry  another  man 
at  her  home  in  Kentucky,  and  have  two  sons  in  the  rebel 
army.  Lamon  prints  also  a  letter  of  Lincoln  to  Mrs.  O. 
H.  Browning,  in  1838,  reviewing  this  affair  in  terms,  it 
must  be  confessed,  brutally  derogatory  to  the  young 
woman's  personal  appearance  and  parts.  Lamon  speaks 
of  its  defective  spelling,  but  there  are  only  one  or  two 
misspelled  words  in  it,  and  these,  likely  enough,  by  acci- 
dent. Lincoln  was  evidently  mortified  by  his  rejection 
and  ignobly  attempted  to  represent  to  Mrs.  Browning  (the 
wife  of  his  new-found  legislative  friend),  that  the  object  of 
his  affections  had  been  unworthy  of  them. 

It  was  not  two  years  (1839)  before  another  Springfield 
matron,  Mrs.  Ninian  "W.  Edwards,  had  a  Kentucky  sister 
to  live  with  her,  Mary  Todd,  daughter  of  Eobert  S.  Todd, 
of  Lexington.  Miss  Todd  was  of  distinguished  family  in 
both  States,  her  mother  had  died  young,  and  she  had  been 
educated  by  "  a  French  lady."  She  had  a  keen  sense  of 
the  ridiculous,  was  sharp,  ambitious,  high-tempered:  ac- 
cording to  Lamon,  •'  high-bred,  proud,  brilliant,  witty,  and 


MISCELLANEOUS.  237 

with  a  will  that  bent  everyone  else  to  her  purposes,  she 
took  Lincoln  captive  the  very  moment  she  considered  it 
expedient  to  do  so.  She  was  ambitious  to  be  the  wife  of 
a  president,  and  was  courted  by  Douglas  till  she  dismissed 
him  for  his  bad  morals.  She  said  of  one  of  her  mates  who 
had  married  a  wealthy  old  gentleman,  "  I  would  rather 
marry  a  good  man,  a  man  of  mind,  with  hope  and  bright 
prospects  ahead  for  position,  fame  and  power,  than  to 
marry  all  the  horses,  gold  and  bones  in  the  world."  Lin- 
coln and  Miss  Todd  became  engaged,  though  a  pretty 
sister  ot  Edwards,  came  near  shipwrecking  even  this  match. 
Pretty  girls  must  have  been  distressingly  thick  in  those 
days,  when  Kentucky  was  sending  her  best  blood  into 
Illinois.  Lincoln  felt  the  Edwards  attachment  so  strongly 
that  he  begged  to  be  released  by  Miss  Todd  (the  Edwards 
girl  married  another  man,  for  Lincoln  never  mentioned  it 
to  her),  and  he  "ran  off  the  track  "again,  to  use  the 
expression  by  which  he  once  described  his  attack  of  insan- 
ity. He  was  "  crazy  as  a  loon  "  for  nearly  a  year,  and  did 
not  attend  the  session  of  the  legislature  of  1841-42,  to 
which  lie  had  been  chosen.  They  had  to  keep  knives 
and  razors  away  from  him.  As  he  came  out  of  it,  the 
Edwardses  advised  Abe  and  Mary  not  to  marry,  as  they 
were  unfitted  to  each  other,  and  probably  in  consequence 
of  this  advice  they — went  and  married  on  "  one  or  two 
hours'  notice."  Lincoln  told  his  friend  Matheny,  who 
made  out  the  license,  "Jim,  I  shall  have  to  marry  that 
girl,"  and  he  "looked  as  if  he  was  going  to  the  slaughter," 
and  said  he  was  "driven  into  it  "  by  the  Edwards  family. 
But,  perhaps,  these  expressions  ought  not  to  be  taken  too 
seriously.     Lainon  prints   letters  from  Lincoln  to  Speed 


238  LINCOLN  STORIES, 

earlier  in  the  year,  indicating  his  embarrassing   position, 
his  "  great  agony,"  as  Lamon  calls  it. 

The  "  Shields  Duel "  was  fought  a  month  or  two  before 
the  marriage,  and  was  occasioned  by  Miss  Todd's  satirical 
sketches  in  The  Sangamon  Journal.  These  sketches 
were  dated  from  the  "  Lost  Township,"  a  humorous  ex- 
pression of  indefiniteness  in  locality  which  had  a  local 
point,  and  were  written  in  vernacular  and  signed  "  Rebec- 
ca." The  last  one  was  in  verse  and  signed  "Cathleon." 
That  Miss  Todd  was  no  green  western  girl  is  evinced  by 
the  spirit  of  these  sketches  of  local  life,  which  are  repro- 
duced in  "  Lamons  Life  of  Lincoln.  "  She  teased  Shields 
in  them,  and  he  demanded  to  know  the  author.  Lincoln 
accepted  the  responsibility. 

Reminiscences  of  Lincoln  and  Stanton. 

A  correspondent  of  the  Philadelphia  Press  gives  the 
following  interesting  reminiscences  of  the  great  War 
President,  and  the  ""Watch  Dog  "  of  the  "War  Office: 

The  Cabinet  in  which  Mr.  Stanton  found  himself,  after 
Senator  Cameron's  voluntary  retirement,  (and  Secretary 
Cameron  fully  possessed  and  always  retained  the  confi- 
dence of  Mr.  Lincoln,)  was  a  conglomeration  of  able  men, 
several  of  whom  had  been  themselves  candidates  for  the 
Presidency,  notably  Chase,  Seward  and  Bates.  And  when 
Mr.  Lincoln  was  indulging  what  he  called  the  "  drifting 
policy,"  he  would  not,  for  months  at  a  time,  call  any  meet- 
ing of  his  Cabinet.  And  yet  Lincoln  is  the  man  of  whom 
Charles  Francis  Adams  wrote,  that  Mr  Lincoln  got  the 
credit  for  all  the  statesmanship  furnished  by  "William  H. 
Seward!  Mr.  Seward,  in  one  of  his  pilgrimages  to  Au- 
burn, where  he  was  wont  to  retire  semi-occasionally,  as 


MISCELLANEOUS.  C30 

Conkling  goes  to  Utica  when  lie  lias  any  special  utterances 
intended  for  the  public  ear;  on  one  of  these  historical 
occasions,  after  speaking  in  his  "  mediaeval  way  "  of  what 
a  "  singularly  pure  young  man  "  Gideon  Welles  must  be, 
the  optimistic  Secretary  of  State  delivered  himself  of  a 
brilliant  eulogy  on  Edwin  M.  Stanton,  in  which  he  spoke 
of  him  as  the  "  Divine  Stanton."  The  great  War  Min- 
ister deserved  all  the  encomiums  lavished  on  him  then 
and  at  a  later  period  during  the  War,  by  the  gifted  son  of 
New  York.  To  my  mind  the  pre-eminently  strong  men  of 
that  period  were  Lincoln,  Stanton,  and  Stevens.  Stanton 
came  into  office  under  an  extraordinary  condition  of  poli- 
tics. The  old  public  functionary,  J.  Buchanan,  who  sat  at 
Washington,  "like  an  old  bread-and-milk  poultice,  and 
drew  the  Rebellion  to  a  head,"  had  reluctantly  consented 
to  redeem  the  latest  hours  of  his  administration  by  taking 
into  his  counsels  Dix  and  Stanton.  At  this  the  North 
breathed  more  freely,  for  it  was  a  guarantee  that  there 
would  be  no  open  or  actual  surrender  of  the  Government 
itself  to  the  Davises,  the  Toombses,  the  Jake  Thompson*, 
and  the  fire-eating  crew  generally  and  particularly. 

Mr.  Stanton  had  resumed  the  practice  of  the  law  after 
Mr.  Lincoln's  inauguration  in  the  City  of  Washington, 
and  had  little  expectation  of  being  called  into  a  Republi- 
can Cabinet.  He  felt  stung  at  the  audacity  with  which 
the  Democracy  had  turned  the  sharp  corner,  and  at  once 
became  the  apologists,  advocates  and  servants  of  an  aris- 
tocracy built  upon  the  back  of  the  African  slave. 

His  words  were  few  in  accepting  the  trust  offered  him 
by  Mr.  Lincoln,  but  they  were  to  the  purpose,  and  from 
that  hour  these  two  wonderful  men,  Lincoln  and  Stanton, 
were   as  close  together  as  if  they  had  been  born  "  Siamese 


240  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

twins.  "  Lincoln's  greatness  very  readily  detected  the  vir- 
tues— the  solid  gold — in  what  he  called  "affirmative  men." 
Secretary  Stanton  was  the  earliest  at  his  desk  in  the 
morning  and  the  latest  to  leave  it.  Many  a  night  Mr. 
Lincoln  would  slip  out  of  the  front  door  of  the  White 
House  and  go  alone  over  to  the  War  Office,  and  these  two, 
absorbed  in  the  conduct  of  the  War,  would  listen  to  click 
of  the  telegraph  and  read  dispatches  till  daybreak.  They 
were  completely  en  rapport,  as  the  following  incident  will 
demonstrate:  Rev.  Mr.  X.  had  a  soft  billet  as  chaplain  in 
one  of  the  Philadelphia  hospitals.  He  had  a  sick  wife. 
Stanton  had  ordered  the  Rev.  Mr.  X.  to  be  sent  to  the  Dry 
Tortugas,  or  some  equally  disagreeable  place  in  Florida, 
in  the  month  of  June.  He  came  to  me  in  great  distress — 
the  preacher.  He  said:  "You  must  go  with  me  to  Mr. 
Lincoln.  He  is  a  kind-hearted  man.  He  will  surely  not 
send  me  away  under  the  circumstances,  with  my  wife 
unable  to  make  a  Southern  journey  in  summer."  I  went. 
The  Rev.  Mr.  X.  went  too.  The  White  House  was  not 
difficult  of  access,  and  I  laid  the  matter  before  the  good 
old  man  with  as  much  aplomb  as  possible.  Mr.  Lincoln 
paused  a  moment  and  said:  "Rev.  Mr.  X.,  this  seems 
like  a  hard  case.  I  will  see  what  I  can  do. "  He  then 
wrote  in  his  plain,  homely  way  on  a  blank  card: 

Secketaky  Stanton:  See  and  hear  Mr.  L.  in  the  matter  of  the 
Rev.  Mr.  X.  If  the  exigencies  of  the  service  permit,  keep  the  Rev. 
Mr.  X.  where  he  is  now.  A.  Lincoln. 

The  great  War  Minister  had  just  entered  his  office  as 
we  ascended  the  steps  of  the  old  office  in  the  War  Depart- 
ment— gone  now,  covered  over  with  the  wing  of  modern 
improvement — armed  with  the  President's   note,  which 


tf  ^SCELLANEOUS.  241 

we  regarded  as  a  complete  extinguisher  or  "  squelcher  "  on 
the  irrascible  Stanton. 

The  Rev.  X.  expected  a  storm,  nor  was  he  mistaken. 
Stanton  stood  straight  as  an  arrow,  a  cross,  apparently, 
between  John  Knox,Thomas  Carlyle  and  Martin  Luther.  He 
glared  at  the  Rev.  X.,  who  had  the  reputation  of  always 
wanting  "  soft  snaps. "  He  only  mollified  his  manner 
slightly  toward  us;  extending  his  hand,  he  curtly  said: 
«  Well,  what  now?" 

I  handed  him  the  card,  with  Mr.  Lincoln's  request  in 
writing.  His  eyes  flashed  fire,  and  he  dashed  out  in  his 
jerky  utterances  these  words: 

"  I  won't  do  it,  and  you  can  tell  him  so."     He  tore  the 
card  up,  and  thew  its  fragments  into  the  basket  and  con 
tinued:     "Go  '    I   Mr.  Lincoln  I  know  what  the  exigen- 
cies of  the  service  require,  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  X.  shall  go 
where  I  order  him  to  go." 

The  Rev.  X.  looked  stunned,  stupefied  and  distracted. 
I  got  him  by  the  coat-sleeve  and  said:  "Come,  we  will 
see  about  this." 

I  was  hot.  Had  not  the  President  of  the  United  States 
been  treated  with  contempt  by  his  own  cabinet  officer? 
Fast  as  we  could  go  there  we  hurried  back,  breathless  to 
Mr.  Lincoln  and  said: 

"  Why,  Mr.  President,  Stanton  is  a  hog.  He  tore  up 
your  order.     Can  you  stand  this?" 

"  Well,  "  the  kind  old  patriot  replied  with  a  twinkle  in 
his  eye.  "  I  reckon  I  can.  I  never  did  have  much  influ- 
ence with  this  administration!"  " 

We  retired  in  good  order,  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  X.  resigned 
his  office  as  chaplain  the  next  day,  and  doubtless  can  be 
found  preaching  the  Gospel  somewhere  now  in  "the  pines" 


242  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

of  West  Jersey.  The  next  time  I  saw  Secretary  Stanton 
he  called  me  to  him,  and  said: 

"  Young  man,  you  may  have  though-:  me  unreasonable 
in  that  preacher's  case,  but  I  always  have  a  good  reason 
for  my  actions." 

Stanton  was  in  temperament  what  the  phrenologists  call 
"  nervous  sanguine,  strongly  marked  lymphatic.  He  was 
short  in  stature,  with  the  general  evidence  of  the  English 
bull  dog  in  his  make  up„"  But  he  had  a  heart  in  him  as 
big  as  an  ox.  He  would  travel  a  thousand  miles  to  undo 
an  injury  if  he  felt  sure  he  had  acted  unjustly  toward  a 
human  being.  He  knew  what  war  was  and  he  never  used 
ottar  of  roses.  He  had  no  patience  with  that  officer  who 
would  sign  a  voucher  on  honor  (as  they  do  in  the  army) 
for  a  dollar  more  than  he  had  honestly  expended,  and  he 
was  like  the  wrath  of  God,  slow  but  sure,  on  the  trail  of 
that  man  caught  robbing  his  Government  in  the  hour  of 
the  country's  direst  need.     "How  do  you  like  Senator 

"  I   asked,  naming  a  rich  man  with  the   Senatorial 

purple  around  his  neck,  albeit  it  had  cost  him  a  pile  of 
money  to  get  the  "  purple." 

"Like  him!"  thundered  the  watch  dog  of  the  "War 
Office.  "  Like  him !  Why  I  had  two  of  his  pals  in  the 
Old  Capital  Prison  for  selling  the  same  vessel  load  of  oats 
three  times  to  the  same  quartermaster,  and  if  Lincoln  had 

not  been  so  kind-hearted  I  would  have  had  Senator 

in  the  Old  Capital  Jail,  too."  But  he  could  be  just,  even 
m  his  wrath.  John  P.  Hale,  the  most  humorous  and 
gifted  story-teller  I  ever  knew,  took  $8,000  for  getting  a 
Rebel  out  of  Old  Capital  Prison.  Some  interested  par- 
ties, possibly  hoping  to  get  the  money  back,  began  pro- 
ceedings, intending  at  least,  to  disgrace  Hale,  then  Senator 


MISCELLANEOUS.  243 

from  New  Hampshire.  The  whole  matter  was  left  to  Sec- 
retary Stanton.  He  took  a  whole  day  to  hear  the  evidence 
and  his  decision  was  prompt,  and  in  these  words: 

"  Senator  Hale  was  offered  $8,000  for  his  legal  services. 
He  earned  it  as  a  lawyer.  That  is  all  there  is  in  this  case." 

The  Secretary  was  very  friendly  with  John  W.  Forney, 
and  held  him  in  high  esteem,  for  Mr.  Forney's  early  and 
constant  fidelity  to  Lincoln's  Administration  in  his  two 
papers — "both  daily!"  Dan  Dougherty  was  also  a  great 
favorite  with  the  War  Minister.  If  Mr.  Lincoln  had 
lived  John  W.  Forney  would  not  have  abandoned  Repub- 
licanism. The  love  of  Stanton  and  Lincoln  for  each  other 
was  steadfast  and  unquestioning.  They  were  two  minds 
with  but  a  single  thought — and  that  was  to  crush  out  the 
rebellion. 

With  Stanton  the  lightning  came  first,  the  thunder  after- 
ward. He  did  not  hesitate  to  put  detectives  into  the 
White  House  to  watch  Andy  Johnson,  at  which  the  tailor 
of  Tennessee  has  been  knownjto  "  cuss  "  a  blue  streak.  It 
was  at  the  suggestion  of  Senator  Sumner  and  other  Sena- 
tors, notably  Zach  Chandler,  that  he  barricaded  the  War 
Office  and  refused  entrance  to  Gen.  Lorenzo  Thomas  ad 
interim  appointment  of  Johnson.  It  was  General 
Lorenzo  Thomas,  who  was  told  by  a  citizen  of  Delaware 
"that  the  eyes  of  Delaware  were  on  him,"  and  Lorenzo  be- 
littled the  occasion,  great  and  historic  as  it  was,  by  swearing 
that  he,  Gen.  Thomas  and  Secretary  Stanton,  had  taken  a 
drink  of  whisky  together  when  "  Lorenzo  the  Brave " 
demanded  the  office.  This  "  soft  impeachment  "  was  never 
denied  by  the  Secretary.  It  was  while  "  holding  the  fort " 
in  the  War  Office  that  Charles  Sumner  sent  to  Stanton  the 
well-remembered  telegram — viz: 


244  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

Senate  Chambeb— Hon.  Edwin  M.  Stanton,  Secretary  of  War: 
Stick Charles  Sumner. 

And  he  stuck.  The  pressure  of  these  terrible  times 
told  on  Stanton's  iron  constitution.  It  would  necessarily 
tell  on  anybody  not  made  in  all  parts  of  Bessemer  Steel. 
Stanton  thought  Grant  at  first  sided  with  Andy  Johnson, 
and  a  question  of  veracity  arose  between  them.  It  was 
hard  for  Stanton  to  forgive,  and  he  never  forgave  Grant, 
unless  it  was  when  Grant  sent  him  the  ermine  of  the 
Supreme  Court  on  his  deathbed.  But  Grant  was  a  proud 
man — so  was  Stanton,  and  their  differances  could  have 
been  reconciled  had  either  been  inclined  to  yield.  While 
sitting  in  his  sanctum  at  the  War  Office  during  the  event- 
ful summer  of  the  "blockade"  at  the  War  Department,  I 
suggested  that  Republics  were  ungrateful.  He  replied 
with  sadness,  that  he  never  expected  to  be  understood 
while  he  lived;  that  the  populace  had  not  changed  greatly 
in  the  centuries  since  it  cried  "  Hosanna "  one  day  and 
"  Crucify  Him, "  the  next.  He  seemed  to  feel  sure  of  his 
place  in  history,  but  evei  spoke  of  the  politicians  with  fine 
scorn.  He  never  seemed  to  me  to  be  the  same  man  alter 
the  death  of  Lincoln.  An  Administration  guided  by  the 
hand  of  a  great  soldier,  rather  than  a  great  statesman,  had 
few  charms  for  a  trained  intellect  like  Stanton's — the  sol- 
dier element  pressed  to  the  fore  and  the  civilian's  place 
seemed  to  be  in  the  rear.  He  never  murmured,  unless  it 
was  when  he  said:  "-Great  deeds  are  not  soon  forgotten, 
but  those  who  do  them  may  be  forgotten  any  hour. " 

Edwin  M.  Stanton  gloried  in  his  lack  of  riches.  Mill- 
ions had  touched  his  palms,  and  massive  fortunes  adhered 
to  the  hands  of  those  who  surrounded  him.  He  onco 
quoted  what  seemed  to  be  a  sublime  saying   ot  Aristotle, 


MISCELLANEOUS.  245 

to  the  effect  that  only  those  "  who  were  rich  because  they 
could  not  help  it,  need  be  ashamed  of  it;  but  those  who  of 
their  own  choice  had  remained  poor  had  a  right  to  glory  in 
it." 

These  are  the  last  words  I  ever  heard  the  great-hearted 
Stanton  utter.  He  was  offered  a  retainer  of  $10,000  for 
an  argument  in  one  phase  of  the  celebrated  Credit  Mobi- 
lier  case;  but  he  was  either  too  feeble  physically  to  pre- 
pare the  case,  or  he  distrusted  the  integrity  of  the  cause 
he  was  asked  to  argue,  and  declined  the  fee.  When  it 
was  found  that  Stan  tan  had  left  no  fortune  save  a  stainless 
name  to  his  children,  Senator  Chandler,  of  Michigan,  soon 
repaired  the  broken  fortunes  of  the  great  War  Minister  by 
making  his  family  independent.  It  was  only  three  days 
before  he  died  that  Gen.  Grant,  President  of  the  United 
States,  placed  upon  the  broad  shoulders  of  Edwin  M. 
Stanfon  the  ermine  of  the  Supreme  Court.  But  even  this 
cardy  justice  came  too  late,  but  it  may  have  softened  the 
pangs  of  that  great  heart.  Within  lorty-eight  hours  the 
soul  of  Judge  Stanton  had  gone  beyond  the  stars  to  the 
'and  where  it  is  ever  morning.  It  took  America  280  years 
to  build  a  memorial  window  to  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  but 
not  so  long  as  280  years  will  it  take  a  grateful  Republic, 
when  she  erects  her  Walhalla  of  her  noble  dead,  to  build 
a  temple  to  commemorate  Edwin  M.  Stanton's  sublime 
devotion  to  duty.  When  future  generations  rise  up  to 
bless  the  great  deeds  of  our  heroes,  and  to  keep  green  the 
memories  of  our  bravest  and  best  who  fought  for  the 
liberation  of  humanity,  there  will  be  no  name  more  rev- 
erently or  tenderly  cherished  than  the  name  of  Edwin  M. 
Stanton,  the  Christian,  the  hero,  and  the  statesman,  unless 


246  LINCOLN  STORIES. 

it  be  that  name  of  that  best  of  men,  slain  by  Booth's  bul- 
let, with  the  prayer  upon  his  lips  "  that  all  men  everywhere 
might  he  free." 


ELECTRICITY  IN  A  BOTTLE! 

WEST'S  ELECTRIC  CURE 


FOR 

CATARRH, 

HAY    FEVER, 
ASTHMA, 

EARACHE, 
HEADACHE, 

NEURALGIA, 
RHEUMATISM, 
COLDS,  &c. 
IT  HAS  NO  EQUAL. 

A  Perfect  Electric  Battery 

PRICE,  81.00. 

Mailed  free  on  receipt'of  same. 


Every  bottle  is  sol  i  on 
30  days'  trial— is  guaran- 
teed to  last  one  year,  and  a 
whole  family  may  use  it. 

Agents  wanted.  One 
general  agent  sold  over 
1,200  bottles  in,one  month, 
at  a  profit  of  over  $400.  Local 
agents  sell  from  12  to  24 
bottles  daily.  Terms  to  agents 
and  complete  descriptive 
pamphlet  free. 


This  cut  represents  the  oxact  aizo  of 
the  Battery. 


THE  WEST  ELECTRIC  CURE  CO. 

Offices  and  Laboratory,  153  Washington  St.,  CHICAGO,  ILL. 


CIBCVLAE3    I^EE, 


AGEUTS     WjiATTED. 


THE  AUDIPHONE. 


GOOD    NEWS    FOR    THE    DEAF. 


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to  Speak.      How  it  is  Done,  Etc. 


The  Audiphone  is  a  new  instrument  made  of  a  peculiar 
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When  adjusted  for  hearing,  it  is  in  suitable  tension  and 
the  upper  edge  is  pressed  slightly  against  one  or  more  of 
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Ordinary  conversation  can  be  heard  with  ease.  In  most 
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